The Strongest Hero
by The Lone Lobster
Summary: What if Saitama was actually praised and acknowledged for his feats instead of always taking the brunt of mob mentality and credit stealing? Come and take a gander at this tale which seeks to answer such a question all the while at Saitama's expense!...What you didn't HONESTLY think he was gonna have it any easier did you?
1. Punch One

**(A/N: To all new readers. this first chapter was rewritten a good deal of time ago, i have yet to get around to updating the rest of the earlier chapters beyond this one, so before you leave any reviews about commas or otherwise, just know that they will be ignored if left as I am actively working on updating this part of the story, thank you)**

You ever have an idea that sounds good at first but when you execute it you only then realize it might not have been the smartest thing to do? Whether it be something as harmless as an impulse buy at the store or maybe something more significant like doing a dangerous stunt cause a friend dared you to do it, the point is afterwards when the deed is done you feel the unmistakable tinge of regret build inside of you. And while we all have these moments of regret that perhaps later down the road we're able to chuckle and laugh about, that is sadly not the case for the world's strongest hero Saitama, otherwise known as One Punch Man. But how could someone come to regret becoming the world's strongest hero, surely with a title and renown like that there'd be nothing but splendor and riches to be exploited right?

That is what Saitama believed as well, he thought that he'd get a few fan clubs, maybe some action figures or posters, and maybe just maybe even be invited to talk on a talk show every once and a while. Don't misunderstand though he didn't want to be a hero for the sake of rewards and fame he wanted to become one because it was simply his passion and desire nothing more nothing less, but even still he knew that more than likely if he were to pursue a life of heroic deeds then he would receive praise from the people. But it was only after his first official act as a hero, which was saving a rather big chinned child from a giant crab monster, that he would soon realize just how small his expectations were. For you see, the boy's grandfather was an incredibly wealthy man by the name of Agoni and after he heard of what happened he did everything in his power to find the man responsible for saving his grandson's life.

It was then after he and Saitama met that Agoni wanted to show his appreciation as much as he could by doing two things for the other. The first of these two praises was to ensure Saitama would be recognized as the hero he was and not once would he ever be overlooked or forgotten by the media or the world. The second was to create an organization that would dedicate itself to protecting the world by enlisting more people like Saitama, those who had a strong sense of justice or at the very least were powerful and wanted to make a career out of using that power. Now at first Saitama welcomed the praise as he both enjoyed it as well as didn't want to be rude to Agoni, but as time went on and he continued to train night and day to become the strongest hero he possibly could, he would realize that Agoni's praise as well as the world's wasn't a gift but instead a curse.

It started off small as all things do with only some people in his city recognizing him and giving him a wave or two. Then as monsters continued to pop up everywhere soon he was known by multiple cities and would find himself constantly stopped on the street for photos and autographs. But after a full year and some months had passed that's when things really got out of hand, people started hanging around his apartment building cheering him nonstop, reporters would follow him around like bloodhounds sniffing out their prey, and the chanting oh god the chanting it was like a never ending assault on his ears! Yet even with his fame and renown rapidly getting out of control something else was also becoming a problem, where he was once just a normal man and it would take a good bit of effort to deal with a foe he now could best them with but one punch.

Not only that but other things changed as well like his hair just suddenly falling out one day and his face seeming to be stuck in a constant expression of boredom. At first these strange happenings confused Saitama as they would anyone else, but as he continued to train and be a hero it soon dawned on him the horrible irony that had become his life. He had become too strong, somehow through what was just simple strength training he became something far greater than a normal human being, something that his fans and the whole world saw as a godly protector capable of ending any foe in but a single blow. But it was not only this change of appearance, strength, and emotion that happened but also the intensity of the people, they turned from simple hyperactive fans into crazed followers that were relentless in their adoration.

So as the days continued to pass by and he continued to be a hero he found himself no longer caring about the fame or money, no longer feared the monsters and villains he crossed as they would either die in a single blow or even just surrender, and he no longer even cared about most things in general. All he wanted from that moment onward was to feel adrenaline course through his body, he wanted to have the looming worry of loss to appear in battle as it would fuel him to give it all he had. But this was not to be, for as the days became weeks, weeks into months, and so on, Saitama would only know of a never ending boredom with but only slight moments of irritation and joy occurring. Yet who is to say that this would be his life from now on, surely there would come a time that a villain or monster would arise that even he would struggle with right?

At least, that's all he hoped for anymore.

* * *

Clear blue skies, the sounds of construction, and the hustle of men and women going to work, these are all things that could be found within most cities in the world. In some there are landmarks or perhaps even monuments that give them a unique presence over other cities, it could range from a massive skyscraper or even something more artistic like a museum or statue. Yet neither of these that set City A apart from the rest, instead it is the city lucky enough to call itself home to the organization known as "The Heroes Association", which is responsible for keeping the world safe from any and all threats to it and it's people. But what would happen if a threat should arise that was also on a similar mission, one that believed it could protect the world forevermore if it were do but one simple task.

And what should happen if the day a threat like that arrived happened to be today, how would the association and it's heroes plan to deal with such a danger? Unfortunately for them today was that day and they would receive no warning or notice of it's arrival, only a thunderous explosion a few miles away from City A that was followed by both a crater and the appearance of it's maker. Standing at six foot seven with purple clad skin and two antennae sprouting from it's head, this being rose from the crater's confines before going into the air and without hesitation unleashing a volley of explosive attacks upon it's surroundings. Like dominoes the destruction erupted across countless buildings and city blocks leaving no chance of survival for the innocent lives who were on the receiving end.

Of course being right next to City A the association was quick to act issuing both a warning out to the people to begin evacuation and another message meant for any nearby heroes to come and stop this monster. But even with two A Class heroes known as Smile Man and Lightning Max having been nearby to help, they were quickly dealt with a manner that could be compared to someone swatting flies. And yet as this unknown being dealt away with these two heroes as if they were but specs of dust to him, he soon picked up on something else that caught his attention. Not far from where he currently was a little girl was walking slowly through the ruins of his onslaught, not seeming to look at where she was going as she was busy wiping away tears from her eyes with one of her arms.

With these two humans no longer a nuisance to him, the being slowly approached her from behind stopping but a short distance when he was close. Unable to keep himself from chuckling at how helpless she was, even as she cried out for her mother and father he didn't hesitate to extend his arm outwards and by some means making it grow prepared to crush her in his grasp. But just as he brought his hands inward to his palm and he expected to feel the warmth of her blood hit his skin, he saw a blur of yellow, white, and red rush by taking the girl with it. Unsure as to what had just happened it slowly opened it's hand to be certain it hadn't grabbed the girl before it took a look around and saw the cause.

With it's back to him there was another hero dressed in a yellow jumpsuit with a white cape that complimented the red gloves and boots they also wore. As for the girl, she lay before them on the ground seeming to be unconscious, no doubt from the speed at which they were saved by the hero.

"You're a fast one, who are you?" It asked as this human was clearly different from the others.

Able to now see a small bit of their face just in time to catch them smirk, the creature would receive the answer to their question as the hero turned around. Standing there at five foot nine was what appeared to be a normal man, with the only unique things about him being his costume as well as his shiny bald head.

.

.

.

...Wait...SHINY BALD HEAD?!

"Just a guy who's a hero for-" He began to introduce only to be cut off as the creature suddenly dropped to it's knees.

"O-OH MY GOD IT'S YOU!" The creature shouted before it bowed it's head "F-FORGIVE ME ONE PUNCH MAN! I-I AM VACCINE MAN AN APOSTLE FOR MOTHER EARTH HERSELF! I-I WAS ONLY DOING WHAT I THOUGHT WAS NEEDED TO PROTECT HER! I-I DIDN'T MEAN TO INCITE YOUR WRATH!" He told him as it kept it's head lowered to the ground.

"...What." Saitama replied simply staring at the monster with a blank stare.

"I-I'M SORRY FOR ALL THE DESTRUCTION I'VE CAUSED, JUST PLEASE DO NOT PUNCH ME!" He pleaded wanting to avoid death at all costs.

Upon hearing this Saitama couldn't keep his hands from balling into fists as this was yet another time that a monster was just going to surrender to him instead of fight him. Unfortunate his irritation and anger would only be worsened as the survivors of Vaccine Man's attack began to emerge from their cover and saw the sight before them.

"Look everyone the monster's giving up!" "Of course he is that's One Punch Man!" "One Punch Man is here he's come to save us!" Were but a few of the overjoyed exclamations of the quickly forming crowd.

 _"Not again..."_ Saitama thought to himself as he stared angrily at the ground ignoring both the crowd and Vaccine Man who was still bowed before him.

"Yeah way to go One Punch Man!" "Serves you right for attacking our city!" "You're lucky he's so kind otherwise you'd be in pieces!" Another bout of cries came from the crowd as they grew more and more ecstatic.

 _"I couldn't even throw a single punch..."_ He thought as he dropped to his knees.

"Let's hear it for One Punch Man!" Someone in the crowd shouted before they all began to chant "ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!"

"GODDAMN IT!" He shouted angrily as he looked towards the sky, his cry of frustration seeming to be lost on the crowd as they continued to cheer.


	2. Punch Two

_**"I've become too strong..."**_ Saitama thought with despair, as he looked looked down at a sealed package of crab that was on sale.

After having "saved" what was left of City A from Vaccine Man and making sure he was turned over to The Hero's Association, Saitama went to a store in City D due to the sale they were having as to do some shopping. And while he was the top ranking hero of S Class which meant he made a great deal of money, he was still a sensible man who knew how to exploit a good sale. Sadly though it is because of his global fame that even when he's just walking about doing shopping he can know no peace, such as now where everyone in the whole store was just staring at him with wide eyed amazed expressions on their faces.

"Oh my god it's really him!" He heard someone whisper, no doubt to someone else.

"He's so amazing!" Another exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"Mommy! Mommy! can I get his autograph?" A little boy asked his mother as they walked behind him.

"Shh we don't want to disturb him while he's shopping sweetie." The mother whispered in reply as they continued on.

 _"It's funny in a sort of depressing way..."_ He thought to himself as he continued to stare at the package in his hand _"I always wanted to be a hero who could end every fight in one punch...and I guess I did like the idea of having fans and praise too..."_ He continued before putting the item into his basket _"But now after a total of three years of training, praise, and being a hero both for fun and to make a living...it's all so...boring..."_ He realized with a slight sigh beneath his breath as he resumed his shopping.

Picking up a few more on sale items all the while people continued to stare, whisper, and in general fangasm over his mere presence, Saitama with a slight bit of joy coming to him headed for the checkout as he was immensely eager to leave this place and go back home. Unfortunately, just as he reached the checkout lanes all the other customers immediately vacated them as to give him clear passage, which while convenient only annoyed him more.

"You don't have to leave your spots everyone..." He told them hoping that maybe just ONCE they'd listen to him.

"Oh no it's fine One Punch Man!" One of the customers exclaimed "We wouldn't want to keep you waiting so go on ahead!" They added earning a collective nod in agreement from everyone else.

Unable to keep a twitch of his eye from happening, Saitama with a heavy sigh being released from his lungs chose one of the many empty lanes to go into.

"I wonder what he's buying?" Someone asked as they all now seemed to be looking towards his items.

"Probably something to make him stronger you know like a diet tailored specifically to him." Another answered as he reached the cashier.

"So I think I know how much I owe already but I might be off by a few yen..." He said as he reached into his basket to begin handing the items over.

"STOP!" The voice of a man cried out before the sound of running footsteps was heard.

Looking towards the direction in which both noises came from Saitama saw a man wearing a tie and a tag on his shirt which read "Manager" running towards him.

"Um is something wrong?" He asked as the man reached him.

"DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT PAYING MISTER ONE PUNCH MAN SIR!" The manager shouted as he pointed towards him "WE WOULD NOT EVEN HUMOR THE IDEA OF CHARGING SOMEONE AS GREAT AS YOU!" He added.

"But I have the yen." Saitama replied as he held up his coin purse "It's really no issue, besides if I didn't pay for this stuff it'd be like I was stealing..." He added.

"NONSENSE!" The manager shouted in protest "YOU SAVE THE WORLD PRACTICALLY EVERY DAY, FOR ME TO MAKE A HERO AS GREAT AS YOU ARE PAY FOR WHAT HE NEEDS TO CONTINUE SAVING OUR SOCIETY FROM EVIL WOULD MAKE ME NO BETTER THAN THE VILLAINS YOU STOP!" He argued.

"That's...completely ridiculous." Saitama told him "Look I'll just pay for what I've got, it's really no big deal I have WAY too much money as it is anyways." He explained.

Suddenly though without warning, as Saitama looked towards the manager for a response he found that he had become teary eyed before in an instant he then fell to his knees.

"OH THANK YOU SIR FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!" He praised "YOUR HEROISM KNOWS NO LIMITS!" He added.

"Dude calm down!" Saitama exclaimed as he was taken aback by this sudden display of gratitude "All I'm doing is paying for my items like any normal person would!" He added.

"Look at him he's paying for his items!" Someone exclaimed.

"He's not even going to abuse his hero status that's how amazing he is!" Another exclaimed.

Feeling a blood vessel in his head beginning to enlarge due to anger, what he had hoped would not happen again as it had before did, as everyone in the store began to rally together and cheer.

"MAN HE'S SO COOL PAYING FOR HIS ITEMS LIKE THE REST OF US DO!" Someone shouted.

"YEAH! IT'S LIKE HE'S NOT EVEN TRYING TO BE A HERO BUT A NORMAL GUY!" Someone else shouted.

"HE'S THE GREATEST HERO IN THE WORLD!" One final person shouted before they all let out a resounding cheer.

"...I just wanna go home..." Saitama sighed as he dropped his coin purse on the checkout counter and began to leave.

"HOLY CRAP DID YOU SEE THAT?! HE'S EVEN GIVING THEM MORE MONEY THAN HE WOULD NEED TO!" Someone shouted causing them all to cheer.

"ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!"

Thankfully Saitama was already out the door when they began to do this and so it quickly began to quiet down as he gained distance from the store.

 ** _"I've become too popular..."_** He thought to himself as he rubbed the side of his forehead.


	3. Punch Three

There once was a time when Saitama could walk down the street alongside everyone else and be a nameless nobody in the crowd, but once he became known as the world's strongest hero, that all went away as though it were a dream. Nowadays Saitama can afford a basic luxury like walking down the street as he will be swarmed by countless citizens who want to get a picture with him or something of the like. And while at first it had it's charm, to be a nobody who was becoming someone of relative importance felt nice, it quickly turned from appreciation and fandom to restraining order levels of smothering. But luckily due to his amazing abilities he was able to easily avoid people whenever he left his apartment, as he would in the most extreme of circumstances would hop from rooftop to rooftop avoiding the streets altogether.

Such as right now, for as one could guess the news of any feats regardless of how recent they might be that included him spread like a wildfire during a drought, as everyone already seemed to know about his encounter with Vaccine Man despite it having been only thirty minutes since it even happened.

 _"How does everyone know about it already?!"_ He wondered in disbelief as he looked down at some of the massive screens attached to certain buildings, where upon them it showed newscasters talking about the event.

Sometimes it honestly did feel like he was always being watched, whether it was by the fans, the association, other heroes, or anything else that had at least one functioning eyeball. But even though his desire to become a hero turned out be a double edged sword in many ways it did also give him a lot of good things, beyond the obvious fame and fortune. It allowed him to meet all kinds of people whether they were heroes or not, and while nowadays whenever he met someone they just went crazy and spastic as everyone seemed to be a fan of his, there were on occasion certain people who were actually pretty normal around him. Such as his best friend King, who out everyone Saitama has come to know and interact with on a frequent enough basis, is the most casual and normal person about him being the greatest hero in the world.

Though even to this day he still didn't know why.

"Oh great..." He sighed as he landed onto another building "They're in a frenzy..." He added as he looked down at the street.

Possessing a great deal of speed and power Saitama was able to travel all the way from City D back to his apartment building in City Z. And while as said he did manage to avoid people and get a few moments of peace and quiet, he couldn't avoid the worst of his fan base as they were always camped outside of the building. From news reporters and fans to his most insane paparazzi and groupies, it was a massive horde of cameras, signs, tents, and vehicles that completely filled the street. Now if this were back before he became the hero he was now there'd be police here to try and disperse these people in order to clear the road, but sadly if there ever were police present it was just to either join the fans or make sure that no fights or further ruckus was caused by the gathering.

As for any other residents of his apartment building or of the other buildings that were nearby they had long since moved somewhere else, meaning that the only person to be pestered and bothered by this never dispersing swarm was him. But just as he had done up until now getting into his apartment while avoiding them would be of no issue, for with but one simple leap he left the roof that he currently stood upon and managed to land perfectly in front of his door. Entering his home with great haste as the moment he landed the crowd below spotted him and began their chanting and calls for attention, once he was inside and slammed the door shut behind him he was finally able to breath a sigh of relief as he was now safe.

"Welcome home." King greeted, as he turned from the television and looked towards him.

"Hey King." Saitama casually replied as he went to his kitchen to put away his groceries "What's up?" He asked.

"I came by to see if you wanted to hang out, but then I got trapped by the horde." King answered as he looked back at the TV.

"You mean they were actually gone?" Saitama asked wide eyed, being genuinely surprised.

"No, but they weren't as insane when I showed up." King explained.

"Ah, that makes sense." Saitama said as he began taking the food out of the bags.

"Oh by the way, good job on stopping that monster." King complimented.

"Eh, it was like the other times, I just showed up and he surrendered." Saitama recounted with a disinterested shrug.

"Don't you mean they?" King asked causing the other to look at him with a confused expression.

"Uh no, there was only one monster." Saitama told him.

"Wait...do you not know about the other one?" King asked him, causing him to freeze in place.

"...What." Saitama said as a sudden feeling of dread washed over him.

"Take a look for yourself." King invited as he pointed to the screen.

Almost in an instant due to his speed was Saitama sitting on his knees in front of the TV next to King, and as he stared at the screen to see what the other was talking about, that feeling of dread only got worse.

"Though a small portion of City D was destroyed by the pair of villains who call themselves the Brain and Brawn brothers, no one was injured and the destruction was limited to this section thanks to One Punch Man." The female reported explained as a picture of Saitama appeared on the screen "As it turns out, the duo were planning to destroy all of City D before moving on to other nearby cities, but they soon surrendered as they saw a few streets away the world's strongest hero walking down the sidewalk, they are now in transit to the association's maximum security prison which houses all of those who have surrendered to One Punch Man." She went on before the television was suddenly turned off.

Looking to Saitama as he was the one who did it, King saw a look of shock and despair upon the other's face that he hadn't seen before.

"Saitama?" He said in a slightly concerned tone.

"I...I didn't even know they were there..." Saitama admitted as he looked down at the floor "I was focused on getting away from the store because everyone was acting crazy...and I didn't even know they were there..." He repeated as he balled his hands into fists "Damn it..." He muttered through gritted teeth before he slammed them down on the floor "I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THEY WERE THERE! AND YET THEY STILL SURRENDERED!" He shouted angrily as he slammed his fists down a few more times, making sure not to overdo it to avoid causing damage "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?! I CAN'T EVEN CHALLENGE PEOPLE TO A FIGHT ANYMORE WITHOUT THEM GIVING UP!"

Knowing well the kind of frustration and anger that Saitama was feeling right now, instead of trying to comfort him or do something that would make things awkward King instead put a hand on his friend's shoulder as to gain his attention.

"Hey." He spoke as Saitama looked towards him "I got a new fighting game yesterday, brought it with me so we could play." He said as he held up the game with his other hand "Wanna kick each other's butts for a while?" He asked.

Unable to keep himself from smiling as Saitama's angered expression quickly changed to that of excitement, he got to his feet with his fists in front of him clearly pumped.

"Hell yeah man! just let me get out of my costume and we'll play!" He exclaimed as he ran to the bathroom.

Getting the game ready while the other changed in the bathroom, once Saitama came out in some casual clothes and sat back down beside him, the two went on to play the game for the next several hours all the while managing to ignore the chanting that came from outside.


	4. Punch Four

"We have a problem." The voice of Metal Knight A.K.A. Dr. Bofoi spoke via satellite transmission causing everyone to adorn looks of surprise.

One thing that should be noted about this world which is different from the original is that due to Saitama's by now apparent fame not only was it the people of the world who looked to him awestruck and amazed but also heroes and villains as well. But that isn't what you need to know dear reader for I already stated in the first chapter that pretty much everyone in the world looked to Saitama with either praise, admiration, respect, or curiosity. No the thing you need to know is that before he became known as the hero Metal Knight Dr. Bofoi already began to study Saitama as well as keep tabs on him in hopes it would better his own research and devices. Of course though once the association was up and running and people from all across the globe sought to be a hero he did in fact become Metal Knight and besides being given the task of constructing the association's headquarters he was given a far more important one as well.

 _"Due to the success of One Punch Man as well as how quickly monsters and villains are beginning to surrender themselves rather than meet their demise at his hand we need you to build a prison suitable for housing them."_

And so out of a want to not only aid the association but also as a chance to possibly learn more about Saitama within a matter of weeks Metal Knight constructed the world's most advanced and secure prison to house not just those Saitama bested but any villain or monster. However due to the varying sizes, powers, and so on of the villains and monsters though more so on the monsters' side the prison needed to be built in a location that would allow for seemingly endless renovation, expansion, and advancement should it ever be needed. Which is exactly why Metal Knight chose to build it inside of a dormant volcano for not only would there be no issues with zoning, properties, and so on but if a riot or escape attempt should be made by ANYONE with the press of a button he could simply drop it into the lava waiting below so no harm no foul. Of course though with a prison like this human personal was out of the question due to most people in their right mind would never want to work in a place like that and Metal Knight found they would be far too inept for something as important as this so the entirety of the prison's staff is automated.

Yet in the three years of which Saitama has been a hero and not too long after the prison was built never has Metal Knight in any of the meetings he's ever been a part of via satellite transmission used words like problem, trouble, and etc so upon him saying that they had a problem shocked every other person within the meeting to their very soul.

"What do you mean we have a problem?" Bearded Worker asked.

 **(A/N: At the time this chapter was written the names of the Bearded Worker and Bespectacled Worker have not yet been revealed and thus are solely referred to by their appearance this will be changed however later if their names do become known.)**

"The rate at which villains and monsters alike who surrender themselves to One Punch Man is increasing." Metal Knight began "Now while this is not the issue for the prison's location allows for expansion if overpopulation becomes an issue the problem still stems from this." He continued "To put it simply as time continues on and more villains and monsters no doubt give themselves up once One Punch Man arrives to fight them more and more resources will be needed." He explained "As it stands there is no issue in regards to utilities or the functionality of the prison itself but things like clothing, food, and so on are being strained to the point where the inmates are beginning to establish trading networks with one another in order to get what they need." He went on "Now at first you might think to yourselves this serves no issue but what is happening here is a basic societal hierarchy for whomever controls the trading networks will be deemed the head of the prison." He concluded.

"And whoever will be the head of the prison could start to give orders such as plans to form an uprising." Bespectacled Worker replied.

"Precisely." Metal knight said "Now while an uprising at this time would not be an issue for I could just simply drop the prison into the lava below in order to become the head of the prison the villain or monster would have to possess some level of intelligence and strategy and therefore won't even think of starting an uprising until their are more prisoners or someone with immeasurable power is incarcerated." He explained "And given that one of the latest batch of inmates is an apostle for earth itself to say the villains One Punch Man is encountering is increasing is an understatement at best." He added.

Silence filled the meeting room as everyone thought on what he had said it was indeed true that as time had gone on the class of both villain and monster One Punch Man has "fought" began to increase from small scale monsters to ones that could destroy entire cities as if it were like swatting a fly. But even so they hadn't even considered the possibility of one day a villain or monster who surrenders themselves to One Punch Man while afraid of him still possessed an unfathomable amount of power which could be used to aid their soon to be fellow prisoners in escaping. And if that were to happen even with One Punch Man's power the sheer number of the prisoners as well as their combined might could potentially be as ludicrous as it might sound a match for him.

"What do you suppose we do then Metal Knight?" Sitch asked as he had his hands clasped together in front of his face.

"I want you to give me full reign over the prisoners." He answered "And I do mean COMPLETE control." He added.

"What would you do if we did?" Sitch asked.

"All I can say is I would not kill them." Metal Knight answered.

Feeling a bit uneasy at those words Sitch looked towards the other members of the meeting as to see if any of them had reservations and while he could see within their looks a bit of uncertainty at the same time they all knew this was their only true option.

"Then it's decided." He said before returning his gaze to the monitor "You have complete control and jurisdiction over the prisoners and what should be done with them." He stated.

* * *

You know most people wouldn't want something bad to happen I mean who would right? But Saitama while not supporting villainy, terrorism, and so on so forth is incredibly happy when something bad is happening in his city. Now most of you might be thinking "Um that contradicts what you said in that exact same sentence." and yes I know it does but you see whenever something bad is happening or is about to happen to City Z everyone evacuates for their own safety which in turn means they leave him alone. So while he will should he need to stop whatever terror plagues his fair city at the same time he takes as much time as he can before he needs to in order to enjoy a rare moment of solitude.

"Man it's so quiet now." He said to himself as he filled his elephant watering can "I almost forgot what peace and quiet sound like." He admitted as he turned off the faucet.

With a now full watering can in hand Saitama left his kitchen and headed for his little patio as to water his cactus paying a slight bit of attention to the news which played on his television.

"So what can you tell us about the mosquitoes which are currently on their way to City Z?" The newscaster asked as he looked towards someone else.

"Well these mosquitoes are of a completely new species and so therefore I know absolutely nothing about them." The man said which caused the newscaster to become enraged.

"THEN WHAT GOOD ARE YOU?! GET OFF MY SHOW!" He shouted as the man was taken from the set "Ahem I mean how interesting." He said regaining his composure.

It was at that point Saitama had begun to completely ignore whatever it was he was saying for his attention was now solely on his cactus as well as his own personal thoughts.

 _"I guess it was too much to ask for COMPLETE peace..."_ He thought as he poured water onto his plant _"But hey at least it's just mosquitoes and not a monster or anything."_ He reasoned _"And besides if any of them should come here I'll just smack them and that'll be that."_ He added.

Almost as if the universe itself was tuning into his thoughts a mosquito seemingly out of nowhere appeared buzzing about and being just an annoying little pest.

 _"Oh speak of the devil."_ He thought as he watched it land on his hand before promptly smacking it.

Raising his hand a slight bit after the shock wave was said and done Satiama stopped in doing so as the mosquito flew out from under it and began to buzz about once more.

 _"...What."_ He thought to himself as he watched it fly.

Unsure as to how something like a mosquito could survive even the shock wave his slap gave off he reached out as to try and grab it but sadly was unsuccessful. Feeling irritation beginning to build there was no way in hell that he was going to be bested by a bug and so he tried the same grab at a different angle once more but just as it had done before it failed. Slowly but surely the irritation in his being was beginning to build and it would only continue to do so as the mosquito after having dodged the second grab landed on the side of his head, was dealt another smack, and yet still somehow survived to continue buzzing about. Setting his elephant watering can down gently beside him Saitama now having the feeling of irritation course throughout his whole being stood up and with as serious of an expression as he could make stared straight at the little buzzing bastard before disappearing.

"BANG CRACK SNAP" Are but few of the words I can think to describe the sounds in which Saitama made as he began to reappear and disappear all over the place trying his absolute hardest to kill this bug. All the while however as he continued on in trying to kill this pest he was completely oblivious to the massive black sea that flew high above the city.

 **"This is an emergency evacuation warning. Threat Level: Demon. No resident is to go outside under any circumstances. Please remain indoors I repeat please remain indoors. No City Z resident should be outside."** The emergency broadcast alert system sounded as to warn any people who might still be in the city.

Unfortunately the only ears that the message fell onto that would care about it belonged to someone who had no intention of leaving but instead intended to deal with the threat themselves.

"Acquiring Target." A blond haired Cyborg said to himself as he began to lock onto the swirling mass of mosquitoes which was forming not too far from him.

* * *

"Ha ha ha ha! Thanks to that warning they're all empty!" A thief exclaimed as he walked out of his latest score "Like anyone's gonna die from a mosquito bite!" He added before turning to look at his haul.

Feeling his smile get just a tad bit bigger the thief couldn't keep his mind from running wild at what he could do with all of his stolen valuables which somehow fit into one fairly large sack.

"What's losing a little blood if I get to walk away with all of this?" He asked himself as his smile got even bigger.

Suddenly as if it were a car reaching it's top speed a force that he did't see coming hit him dead on causing his hat to be blown off far into the sky.

"Was that the wind?..." He asked himself unsure as to what had just happened.

Unfortunately for this petty thief he would receive an answer to his question but it was one that he would regret as the force which was previously unknown to him revealed itself as a black swarming mass which then began to cover his whole body. Terrified beyond belief as anyone would be the man unsure as to what to do or say tried his best to shake off the swarm but alas to no avail and in the just the time span of a few seconds his whole body was being drained of blood by countless mosquitoes. Unable to do anything but scream in agony and pain at this point his death while not the slowest and was brief in it's pain was still horrible which was clearly evident due to the mummified remains of his once former self that began to fall to the ground once the mosquitoes were done feasting. Now with their bounty in tow the mosquitoes took back to the skies forming a sphere with the aid of their brethren.

But forming this sphere was not their true objective for their true purpose was to deliver all the blood that they had collected to their master their queen who lied at the very center of the sphere. Unable to keep herself from moaning in delight as the blood was delivered to her the entity was as simply as can be put the combination of a woman and a mosquito which didn't appear as repulsive as one might think.

"Oh come on." She said as the swarm dispersed "That wasn't nearly enough blood to satisfy my needs." She told them almost in a scolding manner "Now go get some more for me I have to look my best when I meet him!" She exclaimed.

Suddenly though as she gave out that order something caught her attention but before she could focus on it to see what it was she heard a voice.

"Target has been acquired."

Without warning as the voice's words had reached her ears a burst of unbridled flame raced through the air coming right for her. Of course though this was but a tiny little spark in comparison to her so with a simple turn and wave of her arm she dissipated it as if it were nothing but a dust cloud and while doing so found the culprit.

"I see." A strange looking blond haired man spoke as he lowered his arm it seeming to be the source of the fire "You make the mosquitoes suck the blood then take it all for yourself." He said "You must be controlling each one by using some sort of signal that would explain their mysterious behavior." He continued "So if I were to get rid of you their leader would the swarm disperse as well?" He asked.

"Hehe our next meal is here." She said seeming to speak not only to herself but the mosquitoes as well "Go drain that fool dry." She commanded sending forth a swarm of mosquitoes.

Watching as the swarm came towards him at incredible speeds the man simply stood still as it not only reached him but began to surround him like a blackened vortex.

"Incinerate." He spoke not seeming to be alarmed in any way.

And for good reason too for as he said that word it became clear it was a command as a massive eruption of fire shot out of him completely destroying the swarm. Shocked by what she had just witnessed Mosquito Girl discovered that the fire had not erupted from his body but solely his arm showing that he no doubt possessed more power.

"I will eliminate you stay right where you are." He told her as smoke rose from the nozzle residing in his palm.

Though still a bit shocked at what she just saw Mosquito Girl could not help but release a chuckle or two as his threat reached her ears.

"You believe YOU can eliminate me?" She asked as a few more chuckles escaped her "THEN GO ON AND TRY!" She taunted.

* * *

" ***BANG***...THERE I GOT YOU!" Saitama exclaimed as he stared hate filled daggers at his hands while nearly every vein on his head seemed to be on the verge of bursting.

Sadly for our fair hair challenged friend after just a second or two of silence the mosquito left the confines of his hands somehow resuming in it's buzzing about. Slowly returning an upright position once more Saitama unable to vent his anger out in any other way began to grit his teeth all the while the pulsing of the veins in his head and the twitching of his eyes worsened.

" **DAMN MOSQUITOES!** " He exclaimed through his gritted teeth what little amount of control and patience he had completely gone by this point.

* * *

With unparalleled speed the blonde haired cyborg raced up the side of a building and upon reaching a certain point leapt off of it leaving behind a small crater as he did. Sailing through the air towards his opponent he then began the fight with a left hook but with incredible speed of her own Mosquito Girl easily dodged it before throwing two quick jabs of her own. And while the first did in fact make contact the cyborg with a quick spin of his body met the second with his right arm blocking it before charging an attack in his arm then proceeding to fire. Thankfully this would prove to be enough to get him some ground as the blast not only pushed him away but also broke his opponent's guard and so after landing on the side of another building he charged yet another blast of fire this time at his feet before shooting it off which propelled him back into the air and towards his target.

Flying straight towards her as she remained stationary and watched he threw another punch towards her this time with his right fist to which she met with her own. Seeming to pause in the air for just a moment Mosquito Girl then with her other hand smacked him down from the air sending him towards the ground. But this was of no issue for the cyborg as he used both his arms and his fiery blasts in a propeller like fashion which allowed him to control his descent yet even so due to the force of the other's strike he still upon landing on his feet slid across the ground a good distance.

"Incinerate." He said as he aimed his arm towards her not waiting a single second before retaliating.

Watching the burst of heat come towards her Mosquito Girl as it was just a foot or so away from hitting her used her speed to easily dodge it. Feeling his eyes widen a slight bit at how easily his attack was dodged the cyborg began to fire off shot after shot after shot trying to hit his foe but alas just as she had done with the first Mosquito Girl dodged them all with ease except now she was also weaving through them as she approached showing him how ineffective they were . It was only a matter of seconds with her speed before she reached him and upon doing so with the needle which resided on her head she impaled his left arm before taking back towards the skies easily ripping it away from it's owner. Unable to stifle a giggle or two as she looked back towards him his severed arm just dangling from it's newfound spot on her needle she could not resist the temptation to taunt him.

"Maybe a leg next time?" She suggested before a sudden gasp of surprise left her lips.

Feeling as though something was suddenly off about her body Mosquito Girl looked down towards her body only to make a grim discovery.

"Huh? What The?" She sounded as she stared down at her thighs "What happened to my legs?" She asked as from the knee down her legs had been removed.

However as she looked back towards the cyborg she saw held in his right hand both of her missing appendages before he promptly tossed them on the ground behind him. Unable to keep a shocked expression from appearing on her face as he stared at her with an angered puff of her breath she turned and began to fly away.

"Futile." He told her as he fired off another blast of fire towards her.

Unfortunately as his shot swiftly approached it's target countless mosquitoes flew in front of it taking the hit for their leader which caused them all to be set ablaze.

"You cannot escape from me." He said as he watched the swarm burn into ash in the sky.

Flying high into the sky and away from the other Mosquito Girl now adorning a look of anger and irritation looked back towards him.

"What the hell is that guy?!" She asked herself as she now looked ahead of herself "He'll get me if I don't come up with something." She reasoned with smirk as she licked her lips "The townspeople maybe hiding but there are plenty of animals to feed on." She said as the mosquitoes from the nearby woodlands took to the skies heading towards her "Come here little ones empty all of the delicious juices you carry into me!" She exclaimed as they began to swarm around her.

Within but a few seconds a black sphere of mosquitoes similar to the one she was encased in before formed around her only this time it was far bigger large enough to cast a shadow over the buildings that lay below. Running towards the sphere as mosquitoes continued to pour into it only increasing it's size further the cyborg upon getting as close as he could without being directly beneath it looked up towards it.

 _"So many if she's been collecting blood from the whole town as well as the surrounding areas then it may be more than a simple food source for her."_ He thought to himself as he prepared to attack _"I should put an end to this as soon as I can."_ He added as he began to charge another attack.

"GET BACK HERE DAMN IT!" A voice male in tone shouted from behind him causing him to stop.

Looking behind him the cyborg saw running down the street a bald headed man wearing a yellow shirt and shorts chasing after a mosquito all the while he tried to spray it with a can of bug spray.

"YOU AND I AREN'T DONE YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" He shouted swiftly approaching him.

 _"Whose this idiot?"_ The cyborg thought to himself as the man reached him.

"It's in my mouth! Pft Pft! Nasty little-" He began to say until he took notice of the massive black sphere in the sky "Hey what's that swarming over there?" He asked as he stared at it "Are those mosquitoes?" He asked as a mixed look of nervousness and possible disgust came to his face.

"You there." The cyborg said gaining his attention "Evacuate that swarm is conscious and if it senses you it will attack." He told him.

"...Seriously?" The man asked as a look of dread came onto his face replacing his previous expression "That's bad news we should get-" He began to reply whilst pointing behind him.

Sadly for the man he was cut off as the sound of laughter came from within the swarm causing both him and the cyborg to look towards it.

"Uh oh." The man said just as the swarm began to expand outwards.

Similar to how an explosion would play out the swarm upon reaching the ground spread out in all directions flooding every street, alley, and space in general with their blackened mass. The power, the force, and the numbers they possessed proved to be far greater than one would dread as windows began to shatter and buildings were being pushed to the ground. However as the cyborg was also swallowed by the sea of insects he opened his right arm and proceeded to discharge a current of electricity which began to rapidly chain between the mosquitoes. With but only a few flashes of light able to be seen from the outside of the now mountain of mosquitoes it was swiftly replaced by a massive city wide explosion which sent a sea of fire throughout every street, alley, and space that had been occupied by the now former swarm.

This would only last but a short time which to be fair was a good thing for while the buildings, the streets, and anything else that had been hit by the flames were now charred and burned there seemed to be no persistent fires which actually minimized the potential damage overall. But as the smoke began to clear and the fruits of his labor were now bared the cyborg not having moved a single inch even with the swarm's apparent force and power pushing against him began to speak.

"Since she could speak I thought she would at least have human level intelligence but in the end she was just a bug." He told himself as he raised his hand into air balling it into a fist as he did "Bringing the mosquitoes together made for one easy to burn swarm." He continued as he lowered his hand to his side "Upon seeing her I made sure there were no living beings within five hundred meters in all directions so this location allowed me to fire at will." He explained before his eyes went wide "Wait a second that guy might have-" He began to say before he was cut off.

"Man you saved me you're pretty amazing aren't you?" The man asked as the other looked towards him revealing that while he had not been injured in the blast somehow his clothes however had been destroyed completely "You could say you totally made the bugs bug out of here badum tsh." He added.

Completely shocked that the man had somehow survived the cyborg did his best to try and come up with an explanation on his own as to how this was possible to which he couldn't but of course the man took notice of his expression and lack of response and completely misunderstood the why for both.

"Oh you see that was a joke about the mosquitoes being bugs." He explained just as a sign conveniently bent over as to conceal his nether regions.

However before either could say another word the same laughter that had come from the now destroyed swarm sounded from the sky above causing them both to move their gazes to it's source.

"You idiot!" Mosquito Girl taunted as she flew above them her body now a crimson blood red whilst her hair was more so a hot pink color "I no longer need my tiny little-" She began to say before her eyes fell onto the man who stood behind him "Wait...is that?" She asked before her eyes became wide "OH MY GOD IT IS HIM!" She exclaimed before a blush somehow more crimson than her own skin appeared on her face "A-AND HE'S NAKED!" She added as she quickly became flustered.

Unsure as to what she was going on about the cyborg looked back towards the man who just stood there staring up at her.

 _"She knows who this guy is?"_ He thought to himself as more questions and curiosities came to his mind.

Suddenly though without so much as a sound or warning Mosquito Girl had appeared in front of the man seeming to have completely forgotten about the other.

"Um hi?" The man greeted unsure as to why she was standing before him all of a sudden.

"It is an honor to meet you One Punch Man!" Mosquito Girl exclaimed as she bowed to him "My name is Mosquito Girl and I have been sent from The House of Evolution!" She continued before standing upright "As you can see just by looking at me The House of Evolution is a place that can achieve genetic feats and accomplishments that the world never could before!" She went on whilst gesturing to herself.

"Okay." One Punch Man simply said as a plain expression showed on his face.

"And so it is for this reason that the head of The House of Evolution Doctor Genus has sent me to ask you to come and allow him to study you for out of all human beings you by far are the most prime example of genetics at their finest!" She explained "Not to mention your body~" She added though under breath so he wouldn't hear.

Having silence grip the air after she was finished One Punch Man stared towards her with the same expression still on his face whilst her's was an over joyous grin all the while the cyborg watched on trying his best to understand what the absolute hell was happening.

"...No thanks." He told her before turning around and walking away.

"W-Wait what?!" She asked as she watched him leave with a shocked expression.

"There's a sale on tomorrow and I can't miss it." He told her with a wave of his hand "Maybe some other time or never that works too." He added as he continued on.

"No wait please!" She begged as she flew after him "The doctor will be upset with me if I don't come back with you! pretty please?" She asked as she reached him.

Watching as both the man and Mosquito Girl left the scene as he still stood there the cyborg while there were several questions flying through his mind found himself focusing on just one in particular.

 _"...Who IS this guy?..."_ He wondered as the two disappeared from view.


	5. Punch Five

_"How did it come to this?..."_ Saitama thought to himself as he stared intensely at the absolute strangest bunch of people he'd ever seen before sitting right across from him.

Beginning from the left there was the person who arrived first early in the morning though to be fair he was only really a person in the sense he could speak and think on his own for from what Saitama could see his whole body was mechanical while his face and his blonde hair were the only human features he possessed. Sitting next to him however was a man who came not too long after him and actually LOOKED like a man but there was just something...socially awkward about him whether it was the glasses he had on his face, the hair he had hanging over his right eye, or the company that he brought with him something just SCREAMED not good with people. Then of course there was the others who were the very company he brought with him or at least the ones who could fit into the apartment anyways. First there was this REALLY weird looking slug that kinda resembled a man, after him was a bipedal frog, then there was a mole with the kanji for "Ground Dragon" seeming to naturally grow in the fur on his abdomen, moving on there was a more man sized one who resembled a praying mantis yet for some reason he had his brain on display via a glass covering where the top half of his skull would be, and finally the last one who could barely fit into the apartment was the bug lady from yesterday though much to his dismay she besides having a huge excited grin plastered on her face also had a t-shirt which read "Ultimate One Punch Man Fan!" in big bright red letters.

 _"I just wanted to exploit the sale..."_ He thought to himself as he began to recall the earlier events of the day.

* * *

 _"Man that was a great sale." Saitama said to himself with a smile as he looked down at his grocery bags "You only see prices like that if the business is going under." He added before looking back towards the path ahead of him._

 _Even though the swarm of mosquitoes had been dealt with yesterday by the guy he met and the bug lady disappeared after he ditched her by running through town Saitama was positively thrilled to find most of City Z still fairly empty for while there were some people who had come back for the most part they didn't due them being unsure if the mosquitoes were really ALL gone. Too be fair though this was a sentiment that Saitama shared with them and not just because bugs suck but also because he kept thinking back as to how that mosquito whom he chased out of his apartment somehow survived his attempts to kill it which only irritated him as it had then. But thankfully it was very hard to focus on that even a slight bit for as he normally is after ditching his crazed fans of course Saitama was far too lost in the bliss of his plunder of the most recent sale. Unfortunately though even with the news crews and the fans still currently away leaving the streets and sideways surrounding his home vacant as he approached his apartment building Saitama saw someone standing in front of it which caused him to release a sigh._

 _"Well...at least it's not a crowd..." He said to himself as he drew closer._

 _However as he got closer and more details about the individual were able to be noticed he quickly realized this person was the guy from yesterday the one who made all the mosquitoes go up in flames and for the first time since he met King Saitama was actually glad to see another person._

 _"Oh it's the guy." He said to himself as a smile came to his face "I wonder if he's here to see if I'm okay? since the bug lady followed me and all." He wondered aloud as he approached._

 _Thankfully he wouldn't need to speak up or do anything special to gain the other's attention for it seemed as though as he was still several feet from him whether it be he had heard his footsteps or something else he wasn't aware of the other looked towards his direction._

 _"There you are." He spoke as Saitama grew closer "I've been waiting for you." He told him._

 _"Oh?" Saitama sounded "For how long?" He asked._

 _"Thirty minutes." The other answered his expression not changing even in the smallest possible way._

 _"Okay good." Saitama said as he raised his bags "I actually left to go to the supermarket two hours ago the store opens early and there was a sale going on today." He explained._

 _Sadly whether it was due to lack of caring or something else the man didn't reply and instead just stared back at him which instantly made both the air as well as the conversation become immensely awkward._

 _"...Sooo..." Saitama spoke hoping to get things going again "If you're here to check up on me don't worry the bug lady didn't hurt me if anything all she seemed to want to do was go on and on about this house of hers and how big a fan of me she was..." He told him lowering his bags as he did._

 _"That's not why I'm here." The man replied before pointing towards him "I want to know how you are connected to her she seemed to be friendly with you which would indicate that you are either a friend, associate, accomplice, or something else of that nature." He clarified "And if it is any of those things." He continued as he raised his fingers revealing his palm which was glowing "Then I will have to eliminate you." He concluded seeming to somehow intensify his already intense stare._

 _Feeling his eyes open wide in shock at what he had said to him Saitama unable to keep his blood from running cold returned the other's stare with his own as one single thought came to mind._

 _"W-Wait..." He began before he pointed to himself "D-Do you SERIOUSLY not know who **I** am?..." He asked._

 _"No." The other answered "I am not familiar with many things in the world regarding celebrities, politics, and so on as it was four years ago when my life was completely changed due to-" He began to explain until he was cut off by Saitama suddenly shouting into the air._

 _"HOLY CRAP YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM!" He cheered to the heavens above before looking back towards the other "You have NO idea how long I've waited to hear someone say that!" He exclaimed before in the blink of an eye he was suddenly in front of the man gripping his shoulders "This isn't a joke right? like you aren't pulling some kind of stupid prank to get me to give you an autograph or something like that right?!" He asked seeming to be in disbelief._

 _"No this is not a prank." The man assured him "I do not know who you a-" He began to repeat until he was cut off once again only this time by a bear hug which was being given to him by Saitama._

 _"HOLY CRAP THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING!" He exclaimed seeming to be absolutely overjoyed "FINALLY SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHO I AM!" He cried out as he continued to hug the other._

 _But of course as all good things end so must this magical moment for Saitama as the sound of approaching footsteps caught not only his but the man's attention as well causing them to look in the direction it was coming from. However as they both looked towards the road behind Saitama for that was the direction in which the footsteps approached they found that it wasn't just one person who was walking towards them but a group the likes of which consisted of MANY different individuals one of which was the bug lady from yesterday. Yet she apparently wasn't the only oddball of the group for when it was stated that they were different it wasn't meant to imply their difference was something simple like clothing or skin tone but more so how each and every one of them seem to be like her in the sense they were all humanoid bipedal animals except for one. That one being the one who seemed to lead them and it was a man fairly tall in stature wearing a black suit and matching tie along with a pair of glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose though one half of the pair was hidden due to the bangs on the right side of his face hanging down and concealing a good deal of that side._

 _"Um do you know these guys?..." Saitama asked as he still held the other in a bear hug._

 _"I believe I should be the one asking that." The man replied as the group reached them._

 _"Hello One Punch Man." The group's leader greeted as he put a hand to his chest "I am Doctor Genus head of The House of Evolution." He revealed as he held out his hand._

 _Taking a few seconds to think about what he said though it should have been CLEARLY obvious once he saw the bug lady was with them it was only then that he realized THESE were the people from the house she had been going on about yesterday before he ditched her._

 _"Oh." He sounded as he lowered the man whom he still had in a bear hug back to the ground before releasing him "So you're the people bug lady was going on about?" He asked._

 _"Did you hear that?! he REMEMBERS me!" Mosquito Girl exclaimed excitedly causing Saitama to take notice of the shirt she was wearing which then caused him to adorn a look of dread._

 _"Yes that is correct." Doctor Genus answered regaining his attention "However when she returned to us she told us you had declined the invitation to come due to a sale?" He inquired._

 _"Yeah that's right." Saitama replied as he held up his bags "It's at the local supermarket if you guys want to you can head there right now the store closes at eleven so you've got plenty of time." He told them._

 _"We didn't come for the sale One Punch Man." Doctor Genus corrected as he pushed up his glasses slightly "We came because Mosquito Girl failed to persuade you to come and so I believed it would be best if I brought all of my creations here for you to see as well as talk with you about what I can offer as to maybe do what she could not." He explained._

 _Looking them over once more though ignoring Mosquito Girl as she was acting like every other crazed fan girl he'd ever seen Saitama with a heavy sigh being released from his lips looked back towards the doctor._

 _"If I hear what you have to say will you promise to leave me alone afterwards?" He asked._

 _"Only if you'll consider what I say as well as consider coming back with us to The House of Evolution." Doctor Genus replied._

 _"...Fine." Saitama said before turning around and walking towards his apartment building._

 _Proceeding to follow him Doctor Genus as they did told three of the beings whom he referred to as Armored Gorilla, Beast King, and Carnage Kabuto to wait outside and to keep any disturbances from happening. Of course as all of this was happening the man whom had still not told Saitama his name simply stood there watching all of this happen as countless questions came to his mind just as they had done so yesterday._

 _"What is going on?!" He asked wide eyed as they walked past him "It doesn't seem like they are friends with him but at the same time they seem to know him?" He wondered unsure as to how this was possible._

 _"Hey!" Saitama called bringing him out of his thoughts "Are you coming or what?" He asked._

 _Although there were still questions coming to mind the man believed that this if any opportunity_ _at all was the best to get his answers and so replying simply with a nod of the head he followed them into the building._

* * *

"One Punch Man?" Doctor Genus asked as he waved his hand in front of the other's face.

For the past ten minutes or so Saitama with the same expression previously described still present on his face sat there motionless staring at them seeming to be in some kind of trance.

"I don't think that's working Doctor." Slugerous said "If you want I can use my telepathy to try and get him out of it." He suggested.

"Good idea Slugerous." Doctor Genus said as he gestured towards Saitama giving him the go ahead "See what you can do." He added.

Nodding in response as Slugerous began to use his telepathy Mosquito Girl during the past ten minutes had moved her gaze from Saitama to the man sitting beside the doctor her former grin being replaced by a displeased look.

 _"What the hell is HE doing here?!"_ She wondered _"Surely a weakling like HIM isn't friends with One Punch Man right?!"_ She continued as she stared daggers at him.

Sadly though her hate filled daggers were going completely unnoticed by the man as he stared at Saitama his own thoughts and wonders filling his mind.

 _"This man is so strange..."_ He thought as he glanced around the apartment _"He seems to live a normal life but the way they are acting towards him it's as if he's someone of great importance..."_ He continued before resetting his gaze.

Suddenly though the man felt a hand be placed on his shoulder and when he looked to see who it belonged to it was of course Doctor Genus who had done such as to gain his attention.

"Excuse me." He spoke before removing his hand and placing it back at his side "But you're the one who fought with Mosquito Girl correct?" He asked.

"Yes." The man answered.

"I see." Doctor Genus stated as he looked him over "You seem to be a cyborg am I right?" He asked.

"Yes." The man repeated.

"Interesting." Doctor Genus stated "Well since it seems as though we will have some time before One Punch Man is back to earth so to say why don't you tell us a bit about yourself in order to pass the time?" He suggested.

Unsure as to whether or not revealing things about himself was the wisest decision since it seemed as though they weren't going to attack him outside of Mosquito Girl the man looked to his lap before speaking.

"My name is Genos." The man revealed "And it all started four years ago." He began before proceeding to tell his backstory.


	6. Punch Six

Empty streets to most are simply that but to a very select few they are a pleasant surprise and change of pace from what they are used to. No doubt this sounds strange and perhaps a bit unusual to you dear reader but that is because you are not the kind of person whose constantly in the spotlight or something very similar unlike the second strongest man in the world King. For as of this moment King with a brand new video game in tow is on his way to Saitama's abode and thanks to the evacuation warning that went out yesterday very few people were in City Z which in turn meant there'd be little to no people outside of Saitama's apartment building.

 _"I bet Saitama's having a blast right now."_ King thought to himself as he looked around unable to spot anyone nearby _"The whole city's like a ghost town though some of his more intense fans might be back..."_ He noted.

Continuing down the street it was but only a few seconds more until King reached the corner and began turning to his right to go down the next street. However as he was turning a sight caught his eyes which made him immediately retreat back around the corner and cling to the building's wall. Slowly peeking around the corner as to ensure what he saw was true upon gaining the slightest possible glimpse of what was there he pulled his head back as his heart began to beat.

 _"Holy crap!"_ He mentally screamed as he began to breathe heavily _"Why are there MONSTERS outside of Saitama's building?!"_ He wondered _"And why hasn't he dealt with them yet?! is he out shopping?!"_ He added.

Unable to keep himself from gulping out of fear and nervousness King deciding he was able to take another look slowly began to poke his head around the corner. Sadly for him however instead of seeing the street that lay beyond he came face to face with one of the monsters causing his skin to go pale and his blood to go cold.

"Source of the noise identified." It spoke in a robotic voice which fit it's appearance "Proceeding to eliminate." It said before it rose up higher raising it's fists above it's head as it did.

It was then at that moment in time that King did the one thing he was better at than video games which of course was running for his life.

"NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO!" He shouted as he was nearly at the end of the street already.

"HALT!" Armored Gorilla shouted as he gave chase.

 _"HOW DID IT KNOW I WAS THERE?!"_ King thought to himself as he continued to run.

* * *

 _ **A Few Minutes Ago...**_

 _"Hey." Beast King spoke towards Carnage Kabuto gaining his attention "Do you hear that thumping noise?" He asked causing the other to cup his hand around his ear._

 _"Yeah I do hear it!" Carnage Kabuto exclaimed "Sounds like it's coming from over there." He said as he pointed to the street corner._

 _"Should I investigate?" Armored Gorilla asked in his robot voice._

 _"If any of use are going to it should be you." Beast King admitted "Carnage Kabuto is the strongest person here and I'm the second so we need to stay in case something happens." He explained._

 _"Understood." Armored Gorilla replied as he began heading down the street._

 _Waiting until he was out of ear shot both Carnage Kabuto and Beast King exchanged a quick glance at each other before looking away._

 _"So you think the voice is annoying too huh?" Beast King asked._

 _"Anyone who doesn't is deaf." Carnage Kabuto replied._

* * *

" _WHATEVER IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW IT KNEW!"_ King decided as he turned to run down the next street _"I JUST HAVE TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T CATCH ME!"_ He mentally cried as he continued to run.

* * *

As both King and Armored Gorilla continue to run about back at Saitama's apartment while Slugerous is oblivious to what is happening around him due to his telepathic connection with Saitama everyone else is begging for the sweet release of death as for the past five minutes Genos has been going on about his backstory. Of course as he continued to talk each of them began to do something that kept what little sanity they were somehow retaining with them the likes of which include doctor Genus heavily breathing, Frog man puffing out his cheeks, Ground Dragon fiddling with his nails, Kamakyuri was rubbing his blades together, and then there was Mosquito Girl who was just banging her head against the table.

"And so it is thanks to doctor Kuseno that I am now able to go out into the world and fight monsters such as the ones you have brought with you doctor Genus as well as continue my search for the cyborg that destroyed my town and changed my life forever but while doing so I mustn't forget the life which was saved because of doctor Kuseno and-" He went on until he was interrupted.

"ENOUGH!" Mosquito Girl shouted as she sprung to her feet flipping the table as she did "HAVEN'T YOU EVER HEARD OF KEEPING THINGS SHORT AND SIMPLE?! YOU BLONDE HAIRED IDIOT!"" She shouted as she turned towards him.

However as she did so she noticed that everyone excluding Genos of course had a shocked expression on their face including Slugerous who seemed to have been brought out of his trance. Unsure as to why they were shocked she turned to look at what they had been looking at only to find a massive hole in Saitama's apartment along with Saitama himself suddenly having disappeared. And while at first she wasn't grasping what had just happened after a few seconds of piecing it all together she figured it out.

"OH MY GOD!" She screamed as her eyes went wide with shock.

* * *

"You are only making this worse for yourself!" Armored Gorilla called after King as he continued to chase him.

Even though it has only been but a few minutes since we last left them these two miraculously managed to run through nearly every street within the city. Now some of you might be thinking to yourselves that King by this point would be on the verge of collapse no? Well think of it like this imagine King's fear is like the gas in a car the more there is the longer the car's going to run and seeing as how Armored Gorilla showed no signs of stopping he as well wasn't going to stop running until his legs either ceased to move or his lungs caved in. But hey great workout am I right?

 _"WHY IS IT STILL CHASING ME?!"_ He mentally screamed as he glanced behind him _"DOES IT WANT TO KILL ME THAT BADLY?!"_ He wondered as he turned his head back around.

Suddenly though without any warning something that neither of them saw coming fell from the sky and crashed down in the street conveniently in the space between the two of them. Stopping in their tracks as they both looked towards the smoking crater they looked down inside as to see what could have possibly landed to which their eyes widened from shock.

"SAITAMA/ONE PUNCH MAN?!" They both asked as they stared into the hole.

Sure enough as the smoke cleared a tad bit more the unmistakable yellow and white color scheme of Saitama's attire could be made out along with his typical blank expression face and...a smashed up table?

"..." Saitama kept silent as he stared towards the sky unsure as to how he got outside "...How did I get here?" He asked voicing his confusion.

Although he hadn't forgotten about the monster who had been chasing him King was more so concerned for his friend and as such lowered his hand into the crater.

"Here let me help you up." King said.

"Oh you don't need to." Saitama told him as he casually stood up "I'm fine." He added as he began to dust himself off.

 _"Incredible..."_ Armored Gorilla thought to himself astounded that there wasn't a single scratch on him OR his clothes.

After a few seconds of dusting himself off Saitama proceeded to climb out of the hole and look at his surroundings seeing as to where he ended up.

"Huh this is downtown." He noted as he continued to look about.

"Were you trying to land somewhere in particular?" King asked with a raised brow.

"No." Saitama simply replied "Still I would like to know how I ended up here." He admitted "Last thing I remember was thinking back to earlier today when I got back from shopping." He explained.

"Nothing else?" King asked.

"Well I did think about other things..." Saitama began as he held up his hand "First I thought of what I was going to do to pass the time when the fans and reporters returned." He said as he extended one finger "Then I started thinking about what I was going to have for lunch." He continued extending a second finger "At that point though I just kinda spaced out thinking about random things." He went extending a third finger "...And I guess that's it." He finished.

"Huh so you really have no idea how you ended up here." King replied.

"Nope." Saitama said "Although if anything it was probably one of the guys who stopped by my apartment this morning." He admitted just as it came to him.

"Wait..." King began as he slowly looked past Saitama towards the monster "Is HE one of them?" He asked while pointing.

Turning around to see who he was talking about Saitama recognized him causing him to nod.

"Yup that's one of them." He answered "Though he was one of the ones who had to wait outside because he couldn't fit into my apartment." He added before turning back around "He didn't give you any trouble did he?" He asked.

Even though he had been chased by the other through nearly the whole city King knew very well that even with him going easy on him Saitama could break either a few or a LOT of the other's bones and since he seemed to know him somehow he figured there'd be no harm in keeping what had happened between them.

"Uh no not at all." King answered "In fact I was on my way to your apartment with this new game I got and he was walking around doing patrol I think and when he ran into me and asked me who I was he then decided to escort me after I answered him of course." He lied hoping it was believable.

"Oh okay." Saitama replied not seeming to question the NUMEROUS things wrong with that story "Well let's go back then." He said as he began to walk away.

Breathing a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to watch someone get pummeled by Saitama just as King was about to follow he felt a hand be placed on his shoulder and due to the weight and size of it he knew exactly who it belonged to.

"Thank you." Armored Gorilla said though in a completely normal voice this time as he brought his hand to his side "And uh sorry for trying to eliminate you." He apologized.

"It's fine." King said with a smile though with a bit of nervousness to his tone as he was still a bit uneasy in the other's presence "Wait what happened to your robot voice?" He asked.

"I just talk like that to sound cool." Armored Gorilla replied with a shrug before following after Saitama.

Feeling his smile become a tad bit bigger as the other who mere minutes ago seemed like a terrifying monster now seemed a bit more like a person which all in all made King a lot more easy as he too followed alongside Armored Gorilla after Saitama. Surprisingly enough though as they walked back to Saitama's apartment building all three of them began to talk to one another and while they did have some shared interest though nothing that would be astonishing and/or amazing it not only decreased the amount of uneasiness King felt but also made Saitama see him as a pretty cool guy given the circumstances and everything. However after about ten minutes of walking they finally made it back and what awaited them while surprising King and Armored Gorilla hit the very special nerve to piss Saitama off.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY APARTMENT?!" He shouted as he stared towards the massive whole in the building.

Sure enough where his little patio and sliding door windows used to be along with a good chunk of the building a massive gaping whole now resided allowing him to see not only into his place but also that of the upper and lower units.

"Um..." King sounded as he too stared at it "On the bright side we now know what caused you to crash land near us." He offered as some silver lining "Or at least where it happened." He added.

Sadly for King his words fell onto deaf ears as Saitama began to walk towards his apartment in a very angry fashion all the while a few veins began to show on his shiny bald head.

"I just wanted to exploit a sale that's all but every single time I try to exploit a sale something goes wrong the fans go crazy, a monster attacks, or I get sent FLYING OUT OF MY APARTMENT!" He exclaimed as he drew closer.

"Should we do something?" Armored Gorilla asked.

"No it's best we just keep a safe distance." King answered as they followed making sure not to draw too close.

But just as they reached the corner of the street and began to turn towards the one leading to the building they were met with another surprise as there were seemingly countless men who looked the EXACT same as each standing in front of the building seeming to be a conversation with each other.

"Whoa." King said "They all look alike." He noted.

"That's because they're clones of doctor Genus my creator." Armored Gorilla explained.

Unfortunately for King before he could ask anymore questions Saitama clapped his hands together with enough force to cause a blast of wind to be sent from him and while it wasn't strong enough to do any kind of damage it did cause everyone's clothes and hair to flap a bit as well gain their attentions.

"ALRIGHT!" He exclaimed before pointing to the horde of clones "Where's the real one?" He asked as he crossed his arms.

Upon having that question be asked the clones shuffled a bit as the REAL doctor Genus made his way through them and towards Saitama.

"One Punch Man I am so-" Doctor Genus began to say until he was stopped by Saitama raising his hand.

"Don't." He told the other before placing his hand on his arm once more "I don't care what happened I honestly don't care what you have to say all I know is that there is a massive hole in my apartment and I want you to fix it understand?" He asked.

"But of course!" Doctor Genus exclaimed "That is why I've summoned my clones we're going to fix your apartment." He explained "And if there are any additions or features you'd like to be added we'd be more than happy to do those as well." He added.

"No." Saitama said "I just want my apartment back to the way it was which includes you people not being here understand?" He asked.

"Yes." Doctor Genus replied "I suppose this also means you won't hear me out about The House of Evolution?" He asked.

Though still angry as anyone would that his apartment was destroyed Saitama not being the kind of person to hold a grudge nor be angry for too long let out a heavy sigh whilst closing his eyes.

"Even though this is your fault..." He began before reopening his eyes "If you fix my apartment and make sure EVERYTHING that was there is put back...I'll hear what you have to say." He said causing the other's eyes to widen.

"Wait really?" Doctor Genus asked earning a nod in response.

"It's not like you expected this to happen or anything." Saitama admitted "And I did promise to hear you out anyways so yeah." He added.

"Thank you One Punch Man!" Doctor Genus exclaimed as he bowed his head "You heard him let's get to work!" Doctor Genus commanded.

Following their maker's command the clones proceeded to resume their conversation whilst also beginning to move construction supplies up the building's stairwell heading for Saitama's apartment. However as he watched this happen Saitama thought about how his seemingly normal peaceful day ended up like this which in turn made him remember the ONE person among all of these people besides King of course who he actually wanted to talk to.

"HEY!" He exclaimed regaining Doctor Genus's attention "What happened to the guy?" He asked.

"Hm?" Doctor Genus sounded "Oh you mean Genos?" He asked "Well after the inciddent he decided he'd speak with you another time and left right before I sent the others home." He explained.

"Great." Saitama said with a sigh "The one person who I actually wanted to talk to is gone..." He said.

"If you want we can go back to my place to play some games while they're doing this." King suggested.

"Would we have enough time?" Saitama asked looking to Doctor Genus.

"Even if we aren't to take any breaks this will still take a few hours." He answered.

"Alright then I guess we're going to your place." Saitama said as he turned around.

And so as Doctor Genus and his clones got to work on fixing the damage done to Saitama's apartment both he and King began to walk away on their way to King's apartment.


	7. Punch Seven

Hero association headquarters to most it's a shield protecting the world from all that is vile and wicked, to others it's the golden gateway to a career which can change their lives forever, but then there are those who see it as nothing more than a hindrance to their progress. For while they would not by any means seek to harm civilians there are many heroes both S and A class who feel as though some of the rules and restrictions put upon them hold them back from being all they can be. One of such heroes who at this very moment is on her way to the central command room of the HQ feels this way and then some. You might actually know this hero dear reader she's quite famous in fact being the third ranking S class hero she goes by the name of-

"HEY!" Tatsumaki shouted as she floated in the doorway "Just WHAT do you think you're doing?!" She asked as she pointed towards Bearded Worker.

Caught completely off guard by her sudden appearance Bearded Worker had to take a moment or so to figure out why Tatsumaki would be at HQ out of nowhere as well as why she would be so upset.

"Why didn't you tell me about the monster sightings?!" She demanded to know.

"Oh." He sounded as clarity was brought to the situation "Miss Tornado we didn't think it was something you needed to be notified about nor did we think you'd actually care for it." He explained as she floated towards him.

"And why not hm?" She asked as she got in his face "All I do most of the time is sit around and wait until you need me for something SUPER dangerous but it ALWAYS turns out to be something not worth my time yet the ONE time it's actually worthwhile you don't even THINK to tell me?" She asked as her psychic aura seemed to grow a tad bit brighter.

"It's not that miss Tornado." Z Branch Operator said gaining her attention "It just that there was another high ranking hero who could easily deal with the situation nearby and so we called them first." She explained.

 **(A/N: Look her up if you don't know who she is but just like Bearded and Bespectacled worker her name is not yet known if ever so this is what she is referred to as)**

"Oh REALLY?" She asked in a mocking tone "Then tell me who is it you called to handle this situation." She demanded crossing her arms as she did.

"Blizzard of Hell." Z Branch Operator answered causing the other's eyes to widen.

"WHAT?!" She shouted in surprise "WHY WOULD YOU CALL HER?!" She asked but held up her hand as to keep the other from answering "You know what? FORGET IT!" She shouted before swiftly leaving the room.

Completely baffled by what had just happened Bearded Worker breathed a heavy sigh before looking towards his coworker.

"What was that all about?" He asked as he looked towards the monitors "This is only a tiger level threat she'd never want to deal with something so weak..." He noted as Z Brand Operator let out a giggle.

"Maybe it's not the threat itself but the location?" She asked with a smile.

Unsure as to why the location would make any difference Bearded Worker simply shrugged it off before returning to his work.

* * *

"Miss Blizzard?" Eyelashes spoke as he stood to the left of his leader.

"Yes Eyelashes?" Fubuki responded with a question.

"Why haven't you knocked on his door yet?" He asked "It's been three minutes since we first arrived." He added.

"Because I'm trying to see if he's inside using telepathy." She answered.

"Is that why your legs are shaking miss?" Mountain Ape asked as the aforementioned appendages were nearly clacking together similar to what one might see in a cartoon.

"N-No! of course not!" She protested "I-It's just a little chilly out here is all..." She said as she closed her eyes "Anyways though we don't just want to barge in on him and come off as rude now do we?" She asked.

"But if we're knocking first as well as waiting for an invitation inside how would we be barging in?" Eyelashes asked.

"...Just...just give me a few seconds okay?" She asked as she groaned for she couldn't keep her facade up any longer.

Seeing as though their leader was going to need even more time to ready herself both Mountain Ape and Eyelashes walked a few feet away as to give her some space.

"You'd think she'd just tell him she has a crush on him and be done with all of this..." Mountain Ape whispered.

"It's hard for her though because she feels that due to One Punch Man's status as the number one hero in the whole association he'll find a B class hero regardless of their ranking to be unworthy of his time." Eyelashes whispered back.

"Yeah I get that but every time she sees a news report about him or even just HAPPENS to walk by his place while disguised so the people won't recognize her she get's all excited and weird before winding up right back here being short of breath and stressed out." Mountain Ape whispered.

"ALRIGHT!" Fubuki exclaimed suddenly catching them both off guard "I'm ready! let's do this!" She said seeming to have gotten over her winded state.

Swiftly retaking their places at their leader's sides as it seemed she would finally knock on the door just as her hand was approaching it all balled into a fist ready to knock a sudden blast of air hit them from behind causing her to stop.

"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING FUBUKI?!" Tatsumaki questioned as she looked towards her sister with a very stern and angry look.

Easily recognizing that voice Mountain Ape and Eyelashes needed not to turn around and see who it was and because of that they hastily retreated to the nearby stairwell knowing that things were about to get crazy.

"Tatsumaki?!" Fubuki asked as she turned to face her sister "What're you doing here?!" She asked causing her sister to cross her arms.

" **I** should be the one asking THAT Fubuki!" Tatsumaki exclaimed before pointing towards her younger sibling "You have NO good reason to be here!" She said causing the other to adorn a look of offense.

" **I** don't have a good reason?" Fubuki asked "What about you? this is a TIGER level threat what reason could YOU possibly have for being here other than to see One Punch Man?" She asked.

"WHAT?!" Tatsumaki questioned "WHY WOULD **I** OF ALL PEOPLE BE HERE TO SEE BALDY?!" She asked.

"Oh no..." Both men whispered in unison as they peeked around the stairwell door knowing well things were about to take a nosedive.

"Maybe because you have a crush on him?" Fubuki suggested causing her sister's eyes to widen even more somehow.

"I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON THAT BOILED EGG!" Tatsumaki shouted as she pointed to the other once more "AND YOU'RE ONE TO TALK YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S ALWAYS WALKING BY HIS PLACE IN DISGUISE LIKE SOME KIND OF STALKER!" She countered causing the very same expression to appear on her sibling's face.

"I-I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Fubuki shouted "BUT **I** KNOW FOR A FACT YOU BOUGHT ONE OF HIS PLUSHIES!" She returned.

"THAT IS IT!" Tatsumaki raged as her aura began to grow in size around her "I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!" She added before everything began to shake.

Not even bothering to respond with words Fubuki began to use her power as well which only caused the ground to shake even more whilst Eyelashes and Mountain Ape who still watched on behind the stairway door began to shake in fear of what was about to happen. Thankfully though as if the gods themselves sought to keep the sisters from tearing everything around them apart the click of the door's lock reached their ears causing them to stop and look towards it as it was being opened.

" *YAWN*..." Saitama sounded as he smacked his lips "What's going on out here?" He asked.

However even with him having just woken up from a very peaceful slumber his vision was quite clear meaning that neither Fubuki or Tatsumaki appeared as blurs which in turn caused him to come to his sense a bit quicker.

"Uh hi guys." He greeted as he waved his hand "What're you two doing outside of my apartment?" He asked.

Feeling as though their hearts were about to burst out of their chests both sisters immediately gathered themselves and regained their composure as to not cause any suspicion.

"Good morning Saitama!" Fubuki greeted being the first one to reply "The association called me and told me that there was some monster activity around here and since you hadn't dealt with it they wanted me to check on you to make sure you were okay!" She explained.

"Then why are you here?" He asked looking towards Tatsumaki.

"That's none of your business light bulb!" She replied causing him to sigh.

"Right." He said before looking back towards Fubuki "Well anyways you can tell the association I'm fine those monsters weren't here to cause trouble or even fight me in fact they wanted me to come to their home." He explained.

"WHAT?!" Both sisters shouted in unison "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" They asked.

"I told them I'd think about it." He answered with a shrug "I mean to be fair I did promise to hear them out about it if they left me alone." He admitted.

Unable to comprehend what they had just heard both women without so much as a single word leaving their lips suddenly took their leave Tatsumaki flying away whilst Fubuki simply headed for the stairs.

"Eyelashes! Mountain Ape! let's go!" She exclaimed causing them to stand upright.

"Yes mam!" They said in unison before following her downstairs.

Even after a few seconds had passed Saitama still remained at the doorway for he was trying to process what had just happened.

"...Bye I guess." Was all he could muster before he closed his door and headed back inside.

Deciding not to let whatever just happened stay with him for too long Saitama proceeded to turn on his television as to watch the morning news while he got ready for the day.

"The terrorist group responsible for the riots call themselves The Paradisers they've destroyed a high rise building in City F and the situation seems to be spiraling out of control." The female newscaster reported as Saitama began to brush his teeth "I'm receiving word that we've just learned the identity of their leader." She said just as she was replaced by a picture of a man with a very large head "This is Hammerhead a B class criminal who's been involved in several violent incidents in the past." She began "He's a man of large stature standing at six feet six inches tall and weighing four hundred sixty two pounds." She continued "According to one eye witness report he fought twenty men in a street brawl and sent each of them to the hospital." She recounted though by this point Saitama stopped listening.

Beginning to fill an empty mug with water as to rinse his mouth out and while he was still watching and paying some attention to what she was saying all in all it was very uninteresting.

 _"Sounds pretty boring."_ He thought as he began to gargle the water in his mouth _"No need for me to get involved..."_ He added right before he spit the water into the sink.

"Reports indicate that they all have shaven heads not only making them uniform in appearance but quite intimidating." She said which caused him to adorn a look of dread.

Returning his full focus back to the broadcast Saitama couldn't keep his apparent feeling of dread from getting worse as several pictures of men with their heads shaven came onto the screen.

"Those who encounter any shaven headed men on the street should leave the area immediately." She advised.

"...What?" He asked as multiple sweat drops began to trickle down his head "No..." He said before he adorned a look of shock _"Those bastards! those thieves! they stole my look!"_ He thought to himself as he bit his lower lip.

Placing his mug with his toothbrush inside down on the counter he swiftly went over to his costume which was laying on the floor near his table before proceeding to put it on.

 _"I spend all this time being a hero but if they keep acting like jackasses then people are going to think that they're fans of mine who've gone too far!"_ He thought worriedly as he finished dressing "NO!" He exclaimed as he brought his fists together "They will pay!" He added.

And so with everything all set Saitama left his apartment intent on dealing with these terrorists before they gave anyone the wrong idea about him or his fans.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Bearded Worker asked as he looked towards Tornado finding what she had told him to be impossible.

"Did I stutter?" She asked with her arms crossed clearly not amused by his apparent doubt.

Knowing well it would only bring him trouble if he asked anything else Bearded Worker looked back towards his console adorning a look of seriousness as he did.

"Alright then." He said as he looked towards the monitors "It's time we bring in the others and discuss a plan to take on The House of Evolution." He stated.

* * *

"Are you sure that's what he said miss Blizzard?" Lily asked as she and the other members of the Blizzard Group were stunned by what they had just been told.

"Of course I'm sure." Fubuki answered as she crossed her arms "I want all of you to get ready because we're going to track down these monsters and put an end to this." She ordered.

"YES MAM!" They all exclaimed in unison before setting off to make preparations.


	8. Punch Eight

"Thank you all for arriving on such short notice." Sitch spoke showing his gratitude to all of the S class heroes who sat before him at the table.

Normally it would take something on a global level to bring all of the S class heroes together as quickly as it did but in this particular instance they made sure to drive home the urgency of this particular matter above all else it of course being in regards to the number one hero Saitama aka One Punch Man.

"This better actually be what you said it was." S class rank sixteen Metal Bat said as he pointed his bat towards the other "Because if One Punch Man isn't actually in trouble then I'm gonna bash your face in along with little miss shrimp over there." He threatened as he moved his bat towards Tatsumaki's direction.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" She asked while rising from her seat slamming her hands down onto the table as she did.

"I can assure you it is as we described to each of you when we sent the message out." Sitch replied as a hologram appeared it being of a massive building seeming to have been built from the side of a mountain "This is the headquarters for an organization known as The House of Evolution we began looking into them not too long ago." He explained "And while it was clear from the beginning that these people were not to be taken lightly, at the same time we had not considered they were planning something as brazen as approaching One Punch Man." He admitted.

"Could you specify?" S class rank four Silver Fang asked.

"Pardon?" Sitch returned with a question of his own unsure as to what the other was asking.

"In your message you told us what you just did that they approached him but nothing more, what I'm asking is did they approach him with harmful intent or did they try to recruit him?" Silver Fang asked.

"All he said was they wanted him to come to their home and hear what they had to say." Tatsumaki answered leaving Sitch to simply nod and continue.

"Yes but even if he decides that he isn't going to go through with it there is still the terrifying fact that they were not only able to approach him but get him to hear them out which in itself is immensely troubling." Sitch explained.

"Oh come on." S class rank six Child Emperor sighed as he rolled his eyes "This is One Punch Man we're talking about! if it weren't for him none of us would be here, he basically paved the way for both heroes and the association." He reasoned.

"That is true." S class rank five Atomic Samurai agreed "I mean think about it even though we were strong before The Heroes Association was founded and we weren't shy from killing any monsters that crossed our path if it hadn't been for him none of us would be heroes, we pretty much owe our fame and careers to him." He explained.

"Yeah but it wouldn't be the first time a hero became a villain or monster." S class rank thirteen Watchdog Man argued "With all the monsters I deal with I've seen pretty much everything." He admitted "Though I've never seen someone as strong as One Punch Man become a monster." He noted.

"Which is why we're asking you as both S class heroes and as people to please aid us in our attack against The House of Evolution." Sitch pleaded as he held his hand up in front of him.

Looking between themselves as if they were all communicating with each other it didn't take but five seconds before they all looked back towards Sitch and nodded their heads.

"Thank you." He said as he returned his hand to his side "Now then let's begin going over some battle strategies." He instructed as the previous hologram disappeared and was replaced by a blank slate.

However as Sitch and most of the S class began to talk strategy and go through different ideas some of the heroes were lost in their thoughts.

 _"So..."_ S class rank nine Zombieman thought as he looked towards his waist _"We'll finally meet again doctor Genus..."_ He continued as he gently patted his desert eagle _"For the last time..."_ He concluded before closing his eyes as to think back on the past.

 _"This isn't good..."_ King thought as he looked between the heroes _"With all of them working together they'll wipe the floor with them..."_ He continued as he looked towards the table _"I need to tell Saitama about this before it's too late..."_ He decided as he turned his focus back to the others so he would know what they were planning to do.

"Not a day goes by where he ceases to surprise me." Bofoi said to himself as he watched the others via the robot he sent in his place "I'll have to make sure the others don't completely level the place the research potential is far too valuable." He noted.

* * *

Countless smoke plumes filled the air as more and more explosions erupted within the street any civilian who was unfortunately nearby took off running the moment they were aware of what was going on. Yet even with a seemingly unstoppable force coming right towards them dozens of police officers dressed in riot gear stood at the ready with their shields out in front of them and their nightsticks firmly in hand. Sadly though even with their dedication to protecting the fine citizens of their city and ensuring their lives were put before their own the officers were batted and swatted away as if they were nothing but flies demonstrating just how strong the threat was.

"RUN IT'S THE PARADISERS!" A panicked civilian cried out as he ran from the destruction.

"Hehehe..." Hammerhead chuckled as he marched on with his soldiers a wicked sinister grin plastered on his face as he did.

"Stop right there you thugs!" A voice suddenly called out from behind accompanied by the sound of bicycle peddling.

Confused by this sudden command both Hammerhead and his soldiers looked backwards only to see coming towards them via bicycle was a brown haired man wearing goggles, a green helmet, and some sort of full body suit. Unsure as to what this was all about they watched him bring the bike to a stop a few feet away before he dismounted, setup it's kickstands, locked them into place, then walked over to them and struck a pose.

"The bicyclist for justice Mumen Rider is here!" He exclaimed as he readied his fists in front of him.

"Mumen Rider has come to save us!" A brown haired lady cheered joyfully as she clasped her hands together.

"There's nothing to fear with him around!" A brown spiky haired boy said as he held his fist in the air causing Mumen Rider to smirk.

"A hero huh? what a joke." Hammerhead said finding this whole display to be amusing.

"Here I come!" Mumen Rider warned as he rushed forwards ready to attack.

Sadly for Mumen Rider before he could even get close to his foes one of them threw a punch straight at him which unfortunately met it's mark causing a very audible " **THWAP** " sound to be heard and thus down he went.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The woman screamed a she looked at the sight of an unconscious Mumen Rider lying on the ground.

"SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE!" The boy cried out seeking to help his fallen hero.

* * *

"Mister Zeniru you must flea!" An elderly man dressed as a butler pleaded to his employer as the other tightened his robe.

"Hmph." Zeniru grunted as he looked towards his employee "What are you kidding? I can't do that! running away from terrorists would hurt my reputation..." He explained even though his face showed signs of concern.

"There's no need to leave." A voice suddenly spoke seeming to come from behind him.

Turning to look and see if who the voice belonged to was who believed it did Zeniru felt an immeasurable amount of relief be given to him as his bodyguard resting against one of his windows came into view.

"Not while I'm around." The man said as he stared at his employer "You're quite the lucky man having this occur while I'm still under contract." He told the other his expression and tone of voice never changing.

"Ah but you're just one bodyguard you can't-" The butler began to argue until he was cut off by Zeniru.

"Whoa Sonic that's the spirit! but are you sure you can handle this by yourself? the men coming are-" He was about to say until Sonic suddenly vanished from sight.

Caught off guard by his sudden disappearance the two wouldn't have to search for him as he reappeared behind them and made his presence known by speaking once more.

"Of course I can." He told them as they turned back around to look at him discovering he now had a slight grin on his face "You should be concerned for their lives, so start thinking of a way to dispose the pile of dead bodies I'm about to make." He told them causing them to adorn looks of terror "The Paradisers, a bunch of upstarts lucky enough to be equipped with some new type of battle suit." He said before he balled his right hand into a fist "But they're led by that B class criminal Hammerhead, he might have some backbone." He noted as the thought of taking on someone who could actually fight for once made him eager to get started.

* * *

After having dealt with the so called hero Hammerhead and his soldiers had made their way through the city and towards a park which was all that stood between them and their target Zeniru.

"Boss look! you can see Zeniru's building across the woods, people call it the golden turd." One of his subordinates pointed out earning a small bit of laughter from the others.

"Alright let's go!" Hammerhead commanded as they continued on their way.

However after another minute or so of walking they soon reached the first set of pillars which led the way to a building which resided in the center of the woods and it was upon reaching these pillars that Hammerhead sensed something was off.

"Something's wrong." He told his men as he held his right arm back as to bring them to a halt.

Looking towards the pillar to his right Hammerhead noticed the shadow of the pillar moved before a dark shadowy mist started to rise from it.

"I've been waiting for you Hammerhead." A voice spoke as the mist began to dissipate revealing a man dressed in ninja attire "Zeniru sent me." He told the other as he stared towards him.

Now most people upon seeing something like this would be a bit nervous or even frightened but Hammerhead completely certain of his power could not keep a toothy grin from appearing on his face.

"Heh..." He sounded showing the stranger just how little he considered him to be a threat.

"Let me start out by saying this." The man began as he took a few steps forward "No opponent of mine has ever escaped alive not once, I plan on keeping it that way, when it comes to my job I'm a perfectionist." He explained as he reached for the garb which hid his face "But if you surrender right now I'll let you live." He offered as he pulled the garb away from his face and let it rest at the base of his neck "So what's it gonna be then?" He asked as a smile made it's way onto his face followed by a light chuckle.

Needing not even a single second to think on what he should do Hammerhead extended his arm out in front of him before issuing a command to his men.

"GO!" He shouted.

And with that his soldiers following his order began to run towards their target readying themselves to fight all the while letting out battle cries and cheers. Unfortunately as it was clear to the stranger what it was they had decided he felt his smile grow a small bit bigger as he too charged towards them yet unlike them the moment he did so he seemed to vanish from view altogether. But it wasn't because he had decided to run but one second after he had disappeared one of the soldiers who was leading the charge suddenly had his head sliced off from his body his face frozen in a look of pain and terror. Of course as one could've guessed it wouldn't stop there as with no warning nor sign of an attacker the sounds of a sword slashing and slicing filled the air as more and more of the soldiers began to lose their heads the very same expressions frozen on their faces as well.

But it was not one by one in which they fell but more so dozens upon dozens continued to lose their lives with the stranger only appearing for the briefest of moments so quick that if you were to blink you would have missed near twenty of the men losing their lives.

 _"What is this?! what's going on?!"_ Hammerhead thought as he watched his army being slaughtered.

"Why is every-" The last of his soldiers began to ask just as his head too was severed from it's neck.

Completely horrified by what he had just witnessed Hammerhead hid his head between his arms as his eyes were widened from shock.

"HOLY CRAP!" He exclaimed just as the right arm of his suit was nicked showing him that he had just avoided death at the last possible moment.

Taking but a quick glance at the slight damage done to his suit Hammerhead felt rage quickly replace his fear and shock as the realization that all he had worked for hit him like a truck.

"BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!" He cried out as he stood upright throwing his fists into the air as he did.

Knowing very well that if he just stood there and did nothing he too would meet the same end as his men Hammerhead thanks to the suit's incredible power slammed the ground with such force it was as if a small localized earthquake had begun to ripple through the area destroying every bit of terrain that it reached. Taking notice of this as anyone would the stranger using his incredible speed simply leapt out of the way so that he would not be caught within the destruction.

"What's this? trying to intimidate me? you can't see me can you?" He asked as he hanged upside down from a tree another smile quickly making it's way onto his face.

And as he expected the moment his words reached Hammerhead's ears he looked in his direction before ripping a large chunk of the ground out of the earth.

"THERE YOU ARE!" He shouted as he threw the boulder.

Watching as the boulder came flying at him the stranger felt not even the slightest tinge of worry as just before it would have made contact he dodged it with little to no effort causing it to miss. However it had been thrown with such strength that even the tree could not stop it and so it continued to fly through the air heading straight for Zeniru's building.

* * *

"Oh my god it's One Punch Man!" A male civilian shouted as he pointed towards Saitama.

 _"SHIT THERE'S MORE PEOPLE IN THE CITY THAN I THOUGHT THERE WAS!"_ Saitama thought "Uh NO! I'M NOT SAITAMA! I'M JUST A COSPLAYER! A REALLY GOOD ONE!" He lied hoping he and the other people nearby would believe him.

Thankfully though as if the gods themselves sought to aid Saitama in his quest to find those who had stolen his look a loud crash was suddenly heard from behind him which not only caught his but everyone else's attention. Looking towards the origin of the sound he and everyone else saw some kind of explosion happen at the top of a building further into the city and while everyone else was stunned and shocked by it Saitama was actually overjoyed.

 _"AHA! I'VE GOT YOU NOW YOU COPYCATS!"_ He thought to himself before he took off running towards the building.

* * *

 _"So he decided to fight instead of run?"_ Sonic thought to himself as he dodged the seemingly endless boulders Hammerhead was throwing at him.

Even with his first attack having missed Hammerhead continued to rip massive chunks from the ground and throw them at Sonic which while giving Sonic SOME hope he would be a decent challenge overall it wasn't even child's play to him due to his speed.

"Hehehe!" He chuckled as a massive tooth filled grin formed on his face which in turn caused him to cover his mouth _"Oops there goes my bad habit again!"_ He thought.

"AH HA HA HA HA!" Hammerhead laughed as he pointed towards him "YOU'RE JUST A LITTLE DOG BOUGHT BY ZENIRU'S MONEY! YOU REALLY THINK THAT SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO'S FIGHTING FOR A NOBLE CAUSE CAN LOSE TO GUN FOR HIRE DOG LIKE YOU?!" He asked as several veins began to pulse on his head.

 _"I see what he's up to..."_ Sonic thought as he looked at his surroundings _"It's just as I thought, he's a complete fool."_ He mused as he returned his focus to the other a small smile coming to his face _"He could have at least TRIED to arrange the rocks in a less obvious way."_ He noted.

"NGGH HA!" Hammerhead sounded as he lifted another boulder above his head "There are plenty more rocks where those came from! and if you don't stop me they're just gonna keep on coming!" He taunted.

"So let me guess, you think you'll be able to deal with my speed if you know which direction I'm coming from? how utterly pathetic, but I'll play along." Sonic replied as he went into a stance "In fact!" He exclaimed as his feet dug into the dirt before he seemingly blasted off going right towards Hammerhead "I'LL TAKE YOU HEAD ON!" He shouted as he broke the sound barrier not once but twice.

 _"He's too fast I can't see him!"_ Hammerhead thought as he reached behind him _"But it doesn't matter because I have this!"_ He cheered as he pulled up a tree which had fallen from his previous attack on the earth.

Feeling a bit of surprise at his sudden change in tactics Sonic simply continued to run towards him believing he could outrun his opponent's attack.

"GOTCHA!" Hammerhead shouted as he brought the tree down filling the space between the rocks completely "THINK ABOUT HOW STUPID YOU WERE TO FACE OFF AGAINST THE LIKES OF ME ON YOUR WAY DOWN TO HELL!" He taunted as certain victory was his.

But sadly this would prove to be false as the moment he finished giving his taunt a kunai found it's way into the back of his skull causing him to fall forward and hit the ground.

"It's over." Sonic said into his cellphone as he had called Zeniru just before he tossed the knife "...Yeah unfortunately I couldn't go easy on them." He said as he took his gaze away from his fallen foe "Yes Hammerhead's body is over here as well, I'll head back now." He told his employer as he looked towards the corpse.

Much to his surprise however where the body of Hammerhead had been mere seconds ago it was nowhere to be seen seemingly having vanished into thin air.

"The corpse is gone?..." He asked to himself confused by it's sudden disappearance.

* * *

 _"Phew that was close!"_ Hammerhead thought as he ran through the woods the kunai still stuck in his head _"It's a good thing that ninja freak hit me in the head, luckily my skull's always been several times thicker than a normal person's."_ He went on as his expression quickly changed to rage _"Damn it, I don't know who that bastard was but one day I'm gonna kill-"_ He began to plot his revenge until something came into view _"Huh? who's that? it kinda looks like..."_ He wondered until he realized who it was he had run into _"OH SHIT IT'S ONE PUNCH MAN!"_ He thought as he stopped dead in his tracks.

Completely dumbfounded that he would run into the number one hero in the world out of every single person he could Hammerhead knowing well if he was here he was no doubt looking for HIM he needed to quickly run in a different direction as to not get spotted. Sadly though before he could even begin to take a step in a different direction Saitama turned his head and saw him causing him to freeze in place.

 _"SHIT! HE'S SEEN ME!"_ He thought _"I've got to-"_ He began to think as he turned around only to have his mind go blank from fear at what awaited him.

Somehow someway in the few brief seconds he had taken his eyes away from him Saitama had appeared behind him keeping him from running away.

"There you are." He said as he pointed towards him "I've been looking everywhere for you." He admitted.

"GAH!" Hammerhead sounded as he was too frightened to form a proper response right away "P-PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" Was all he could think to say as the thought of getting punched from him of all people made him fear for his very life.

"Wait what?" Saitama asked.

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO CAUSE TROUBLE! I JUST WANTED TO GET OUT OF HAVING TO WORK! SO PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" Hammerhead pleaded having dropped to his knees as to beg for his life even more.

"Whoa man calm down!" Saitama told him as he held his hands out in front of him "I'm not gonna kill you! I WAS going to beat you and your followers up for stealing my look but I wasn't going to kill you!" He assured "Speaking of which where are your followers?" He asked.

However before Hammerhead could answer the other's question the sound of something flying through the air coming towards him from behind caught Saitama's attention and so he raised his hand to catch whatever it was and upon doing so he found it to be some kind of knife.

"What's this thing?" He asked as he looked at the object.

But just as he began to move his gaze from the weapon towards the direction it came from the sight of a sword going straight towards his eye entered his view and with it only being but a few inches away from his face he grabbed onto it's blade causing it to stop. Unsure as to what the absolute hell was happening all of a sudden Saitama looked towards the sword's handle as to find the owner which he did it being a black haired blue eyed man dressed in some kind of costume.

"Who are you?" He asked not seeming to notice the shocked expression the other had on his face.

Silence quickly filled the air as Saitama waited for this mysterious person to answer him while the aforementioned person simply stared at him seeming to be in a state of disbelief. As for Hammerhead however while they seemed to be locked in a standoff or something of that nature he saw this as the only chance he'd get to escape the both of them and so as to ensure he would not be seen or heard he lowered himself to the ground and began to crawl away in a way very similar to a worm.

 _"I'm getting a job! nothing is worth dealing with these guys!"_ He decided as he disappeared into a bush.

Meanwhile as Hammerhead continued to worm his away across the woodland floor Saitama and the stranger were still as they were neither saying or doing anything to break the silence.

 _"H-He stopped my attack!"_ Sonic thought to himself completely stunned _"I'm the fastest thing alive! how the hell did he see it coming?!"_ He wondered.

 _"Crap I forgot to have breakfast..."_ Saitama thought as his stomach began to growl _"But on the bright side it isn't noon yet so I can have brunch and knock two meals out in one go."_ He decided as he then began to think on what he would have.

Sadly though he would not get to think of what it was his stomach was craving for out of nowhere the stranger suddenly leapt away from him taking his sword with him finally bringing an end to their staring contest of sorts.

"So you're able to see my attacks?" Sonic asked as he stood upright putting his sword away as he did "You're clearly not the same as Hammerhead." He noted.

"Of course I'm not." Sataima said as he gestured to his costume "I mean I'm CLEARLY not a Paradiser." He pointed out.

"You're a terrible liar." Sonic replied as he pointed towards the other's head "With that bald head there's no denying you're one of them." He argued.

"No that's stupid!" Saitama exclaimed as he put a hand to his chest "It's me! ya know the strongest hero in the world?!" He asked.

"Never heard of you." Sonic admitted.

Once again silence filled the air as those words hit Saitama like a bag of bricks completely stunning him.

"W-what?..." He asked.

"I've never heard of you." Sonic repeated "I don't care about heroes, or monsters, or villains none of it matters to me." He explained.

"S-So you REALLY don't know who I am then?..." He asked once again it seeming to irritate the other.

"How many times to I have to say it?!" Sonic responded with a question of his own "I. DO. NOT. KNOW. WHO. YOU. ARE." He said loudly but slowly as to make each word have it's own significant impact.

However as the last word left his lips and was allowed to be heard by any who could hear it Sonic before he could even blink found himself suddenly being hugged by Saitama.

"HOLY CRAP ANOTHER PERSON WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHO I AM!" He shouted joyfully as he tightened his hug.

"HEY LET GO OF ME YOU FREAK!" Sonic shouted as he tried to break free of the other's grasp to which he couldn't.

"OH MAN THIS IS SO AMAZING!" Saitama cheered as he ended the hug "You have no IDEA what it's like for me to meet someone who doesn't know who I a-" He began to say until he was cutoff by Sonic disappearing.

Unsure as to what had just happened Saitama quickly received his answer as Sonic reappeared though he was dashing all over the place with incredible speed.

"THAT'S IT!" He shouted as he dashed "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! IT WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT YOU STOPPED TWO OF MY ATTACKS! BUT NOW YOU'VE GONE AND PISSED ME OFF!" He raged as he landed on the bark of a tree "TIME TO END THIS!" He decided as he leapt from his place heading straight for Saitama.

Knowing very well there was no way ANYONE could've kept track of him he began to spin himself forward in the air like a saw blade all the while extending one of his legs outward.

"WIND BLADE KICK!" He shouted as his attack was about to land.

Unfortunately for the ninja though as his foot approached the other's head he simply sidestepped the attack causing him to let out a gasp of disbelief.

"Checkmate." Saitama said as he held up his right fist.

But as if the universe wasn't through picking on Sonic due to his momentum his body continued to move forward causing his nether regions to receive a punch from Saitama's fist.

"Oops! sorry! I uh..." Saitama began to apologize trying to find the best words to use as Sonic leapt backwards "I meant to stop from hitting you but your momentum carried my fist into your...um..." He tried to continue but found he was struggling once more to find the right words.

Not like it mattered anyways for every single sound, sensation, and presence was being ignored by Sonic as the pain from the blow began to flare.

 _"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"_ He internally screamed.

* * *

 **-We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties Please Standby.-**

* * *

"Listen." Sonic spoke seeming to have regained his composure "I've worked every job from assassin to bodyguard, I'm the deadly ninja Speed O' Sound Sonic!" He revealed "But for the time being my work will be on hold." He began to say but had to take a few quick breathes as it seemed he was losing his regained composure quite quickly "Now that I've found such a formidable opponent I'm dedicating myself to training until we settle this!" He exclaimed as a few grunts and groans escaped him "LET ME KNOW YOUR NAME!" He shouted.

"...It's Saitama." Saitama replied with an uncertain look on his face.

"SAITAMA! NEXT TIME WE MEET IT'LL BE YOUR DEMISE!" Sonic threatened though he was anything BUT threatening due to the fact he had his legs bent inward, was shaking, and was blue in the face.

"...Sure." Saitama agreed his expression still the same.

"I SPEED O' SOUND SONIC, THE ULTIMATE NINJA, WILL NOT REST UNTIL I HAVE BROUGHT YOU DOWN!" Sonic declared as he pointed towards the other.

"Go train hard." Saitama instructed as he held his fist out in front of him.

* * *

"Miss Blizzard!" A member of the Blizzaard group exclaimed as he entered the room.

"Yes what is it?" Fubuki asked as she turned to look at him "Can't you see we're busy planning here?" She added.

"I know miss but there's someone here to see you and I think you should talk to him!" He explained.

Finding it strange that someone would be here at all times to see her Fubuki simply nodded before walking over to the door and proceeding to exit the room. However the moment she looked into the next room her eyes landed upon a blonde haired cyborg who had a very stoic expression upon his face.

"Hello." He greeted before placing a hand to his chest "My name is Genos and it has come to my attention you are planning to attack The House of Evolution correct?" He asked.

Unsure as to where this man came from let alone how he knew of their plan Fubuki decided if he knew this much there would be no point in lying to him and thus responded truthfully.

"Yes we are." She answered before pointing towards him "But what concern is it of yours? are you one of them?" She asked.

"No." He answered "Due to recent events having occurred over the past two days I have been keeping an eye of them myself and when I discovered some of your group doing reconnaissance as I was I had to know more." He explained.

"I see..." She replied.

"At any rate if you're seeking to attack them you're going to need help which is why I came." He explained.

"Wait you want to help us?" She asked "What for?" She added.

"As I said due to recent events I have been keeping tabs on them." He answered "As well as someone who they seem to be associated with a man who goes by the name of One Punch Man." He added causing her eyes to widen.

"You've been keeping tabs on Saitama?!" She asked.

"If that is his name then yes." He answered "He seems to be someone of great importance to them though I myself do not know much about him." He admitted.

"Wait seriously?" She asked finding it hard to believe that there was someone in this world who didn't know Saitama.

"Yes due to an inciddent four years ago which made me into what I am now I am not aware of many things in the world." He answered "However after having met him I have begun to do research on him and while what I have found has been plentiful and informative I find some of the things to be highly unlikely." He explained.

"Like what?" She asked.

"There are many things." He admitted as he looked down at his hand "But they all stem from the same thing it being that he is called One Punch Man insinuating that he can end any fight he takes part in with just one punch." He answered.

"And you don't believe that he can?" She asked earning a nod in response.

"Precisely." He said "I find it impossible for one man regardless of his strength to be able to destroy any foe with just one punch even with all of the accounts and reports I have to see him in action for myself in order to be certain." He explained.

Finding herself only becoming more and more intrigued by this man as their conversation continued Fubuki had a brilliant idea come to mind one that would benefit not only her but him as well.

"Tell you what." She said as she pointed towards him once more "If you do actually want to help me and my subordinates than I will allow it but ONLY on one condition." She offered.

"It being?" He asked.

"If you get Saitama to show you how strong he is can I come and watch too?" She asked as she placed her hands on her cheeks "I've NEVER seen him fight nor train in person and just imagining him all intense and fierce is just so exciting!" She exclaimed before she let out a squeal due to the thoughts she was having.

"So you would wish to spectate? that's all?" He asked.

"That's it!" She assured causing him to smile.

"Then I'm certain that could be arranged." He told her as he held out his hand.

Overjoyed that he accepted her condition Fubuki happily shook his hand all the while she began to think about her sister.

 _"HA! take THAT Tatsumaki!"_ She mentally taunted.

* * *

"Hmm..." Doctor Genus hummed as he stared at his monitor "It seems there's some more activity coming from The Heroes Association..." He noted.

"Yes sir we believe that due to Mosquito Girl's recent display of power as well as our visit to One Punch Man's home they might be making plans to attack us." One of his clones explained the situation.

"If that is the case then so be it." Doctor Genus stated as he rose from his seat "If it's a fight they want it's a fight they'll get tell everyone to get ready!" He ordered earning a nod from his clone _"If One Punch Man sees the power my creations wield he'll surely be impressed and will want to see what I can offer him!"_ He thought excitedly.


	9. Punch Nine

_"Man it sure is nice out here today."_ Saitama thought to himself as he walked through the woods.

After having parted ways with...crap he already forgot the guy's name...anyways the ninja guy Saitama decided instead of running super fast back home as to avoid his fans he'd simply take a nice calm stroll through the woods first before returning to his abode.

 _"Ya know it's weird..."_ He began to think as he looked towards the trees towering above him _"I could never appreciate something like this before, when I was just a regular guy everything seemed so boring to me."_ He noted _"That's why I became a hero, for the fun, excitement, and an amazing adrenaline rush...but now...I don't feel any of that..."_ He thought as a sigh escaped him _"Now fighting is just like waking up, it's something you do without needing to think about it...but...what's the point in fighting if you don't feel stressed? if you don't worry about losing?..."_ He wondered _"...Eh whatever that's something to think about later."_ He decided as he pat his stomach _"Right now I need to get back home and make me something to eat I'm starved."_ He concluded as he returned his focus back on the path ahead of him.

Continuing to walk through the woods and admiring the peaceful serenity of the place it took but only a few more minutes before Saitama reached the woodlands' end.

"Whelp." He spoke as he stepped out of the shade covered space of the woods back into the open sun filled space of the city "Time to head home." He told himself before seeming to vanish.

Running through the city streets at speeds which could not be clocked even with his apartment building being miles away he reached it within just a few seconds. Upon reaching the building however he found that some of the fans and reporters had returned causing him to stop a street away and peek around the corner.

"Crap..." He muttered beneath his breath as he looked at the small crowd "They're already coming back..." He noted as a sigh escaped him "And here I was hoping to have some more peace and quiet..." He groaned.

Thankfully though just as he was about to continue on to his home an idea came to his mind which made him stop.

"Wait a minute..." He said as he slapped the side of his head "I could just go to King's place!" He exclaimed before proceeding to walk away.

Unknown to Saitama though as he went on his way to his friend's apartment inside of his own apartment his phone was ringing the very caller being none other than King.

* * *

 _"Come on Saitama pick up..."_ King thought as he had dialed the other for the third time in the past ten minutes.

After the S class heroes had finally reached a plan they all agreed on which was simply to level the place they all proceeded to board a specially designed Heroes Association troop transport which would take them to The House Of Evolution's location.

"Who're you calling King?" Child Emperor asked as he looked towards him.

"Hm?" King sounded as he returned the other's gaze with his own "Oh I'm calling One Punch Man." He answered.

"Oh wow!" Child Emperor exclaimed in amazement "You have his phone number?!" He asked.

"Um..." King sounded as he wasn't sure how to respond.

"Of course he has his number idiot." Tatsumaki berated with a scoff "He's his sidekick after all!" She added.

"Oh right." Child Emperor replied "But even so how come he hasn't shared his number with the rest of us?" He asked.

"It's bad enough most of you are fans of his like the rest of the world." Metal Bat spoke as he rested his bat on his shoulders "But if he gave you his number how many of you would ever call him for something that was ACTUALLY important?" He asked.

Looking among each other as to see if any would raise their hand or say they would after a few seconds passed with none of this happening Metal Bat felt a smirk come to his face.

"Exactly." He said "The only reason King has his number is because he's his sidekick and King's the only one here besides myself who wouldn't call him everyday asking if he wanted to hang out or train." He explained.

"That's rich." S class hero rank fourteen Flashy Flash said "You'd call him constantly to invite him to one of your Sister's piano recitals." He argued.

"YOU WANNA GO GIRLY BOY?!" Metal Bat asked immediately becoming enraged.

But as Metal Bat and Flashy Flash began to go at each other with Flashy Flash retaining his composure whilst Metal Bat...not so much King as he was about to return his focus to contacting Saitama felt someone tap his left arm.

"So..." Tatsumaki began as she had at some point moved from her seat to the one next to his "Would it be possible...if I could get his number from you?" She asked.

Utterly confused and dumbfounded as to why Tornado of ALL people would want his number King tried his best to come up with a response that would get him an answer to this question as well as not come off as rude so to not piss her off.

"...Do you want to see if you can reach him?" He asked causing her eyes to widen.

"O-OF COURSE!" She exclaimed seeming to be caught off guard "WHY ELSE WOULD I WANT HIS NUMBER?! WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING?!" She questioned.

"Nothing." He answered though his heart was beginning to beat faster "I was just curious is all." He told her.

"W-WELL MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" She told him "A-After you give me the number though..." She muttered.

Finding her behavior to be even more confusing and weird than the original question King even as countless questions came to mind simply handed her the phone so she could get the number. However the moment his phone was in her grasp her fingers seemed to move at mach level speeds while she put the number into her phone.

"There." She said as she handed his back to him before proceeding to rise from the seat and go back to her original one.

"..." He remained silent as he looked at his phone _"...Maybe she's sick or something..."_ He wondered as he called Saitama again.

As for Tatsumaki however even though she was keeping her normal irritated look very well on the inside it was a much different story.

 _"OH MY GOD! I CAN'T **BELIEVE** KING GAVE ME HIS NUMBER!" _She mentally screamed _"TAKE **THAT** FUBUKI!" _ She taunted before returning to mentally fangasm.

* * *

"We're almost to the location miss Blizzard!" A member of the blizzard group exclaimed as he drove on a dirt road.

After having made her deal with Genos Fubuki decided that there would be no better time to carry out their attack. However as they made their way to The House Of Evolution a very awkward silence filled the vehicle as everyone had been staring at Genos.

"...So..." Fubuki spoke hoping to FINALLY start a conversation "...How did you become a cyborg?" She asked addressing the elephant in the room.

"Are you sure you want to know?" He replied with a question.

"Is it that horrible?" She returned with another question.

"No." He told her "It just seems that every time I talk about my past people get angry." He explained.

"Oh." She sounded "Well I can assure you we won't get angry plus we still have some time before we arrive so if you want to you can tell us." She offered.

"...If you're certain." He said receiving a nod in response "Alright then, it all started four years ago." He began.

* * *

"Is everything in order?" Doctor Genus asked to one of his clones as he stared at his monitor.

"Yes, the base defenses have been activated and our best fighters are on standby." The clone answered causing his creator to smile.

"Excellent." Doctor Genus said as pictures of all the S class heroes excluding Saitama and Blast of course came onto the screen "Even with their combined strength there isn't a chance at best they might injure Mosquito Girl and Armored Gorilla but none of them could hope to even scratch Beast King and Carnage Kabuto." He believed.

Suddenly though before another word could be said between them the sound of running footsteps was heard followed by another of his clones bursting into the room.

"Sir!" He spoke seeming to be out of breath "More are coming!" He added causing both of the others' eyes to widen.

"What?! who and how many?!" Doctor Genus asked.

"W-We don't know sir but all we do know is that there are multiple vehicles approaching by land!" The clone answered.

Going silent as to think on this sudden development Doctor Genus could feel his clones eyes fixate themselves on him awaiting his response.

"...Nothing changes." He said as a smile returned to his face "All of the S class heroes have no hope of winning this fight so more than likely these are A class or possibly even B class heroes." He reasoned.

"Do you think they'd actually bring reinforcements?" The first clone asked "Our research has shown nearly all of the S class heroes are very egotistical it seems unlikely they'd ask for help even from their fellow S class." He argued.

"True but that isn't their call." Doctor Genus countered "The association would make a decision like that not them." He added "But it doesn't matter they could bring every hero from class A, B, and even C and none of them would make a difference." He explained "The only hero who would ACTUALLY give them a chance would be One Punch Man and we know he's not a part of this attack so there's no issue." He concluded.

Seeing as though his logic was sound the clones felt smiles come to their faces as well for victory was seemingly theirs.

* * *

 **"YOU LOSE!"** The announcer of the game shouted as the same words but in text form appeared on the screen.

Upon reaching King's apartment Saitama besides helping himself to whatever was in the other's fridge decided to play some video games while he ate. However while Saitama without a shadow of a doubt could beat anyone in a fight in REAL life in a fighting game sad to say he couldn't even get past the first enemy in the story mode.

"OH COME ON!" He shouted as he threw the controller down "HOW ARE MY INFINITE LOW KICKS NOT WORKING?!" He asked.

Sighing out of frustration that SOMEHOW his strategy to just do low kicks instead of punching, jumping, or any other form of fighting seemed to fail Saitama simply rose from his place on the floor with his plate in hand before heading into the kitchen.

"Seriously how is King so good?" He asked himself as he moved to the sink "The dude's like a god or something..." He added as he began to wash the dish.

However as he started to scrub the dish with the sponge that had been lying on the counter next to the sink King's home phone began to ring causing him to stop.

 _"Wonder who that could be?"_ He wondered as he reached over and took it from it's place on the wall "Hello?" He asked.

"Saitama!" The voice of King exclaimed revealing who was on the other end.

"Oh hey King." He replied "Wait how did you know I was here?" He asked.

"Because I've been calling your cell for the last fifteen minutes!" King Answered "You really should carry it on you!" He added.

"I would but my suit doesn't have any pockets..." Saitama admitted "I mean my belt can hold stuff but it's not that spacious, only good for folded up flyers and my coin purse." He explained.

"Whatever it doesn't matter, what DOES matter though is you need to get over to The House Of Evolution right now!" King told him.

"Where's that?" Saitama asked.

"...You mean you don't know?" King asked.

"No." Saitama answered "That guy...what was his name?...Doctor genius?...anyway he never actually told me where it was I just promised to hear him out about it but then my apartment was trashed, then he had to fix it, and by the time he did get it done it was really late so I told him to tell me about it some other time." He explained.

"Well it's in the mountains an eight story tall building you can't miss it just get here as fast as you can!" King instructed.

"Are you there?" Saitama asked.

"Yes! along with the other S class heroes!" King answered.

"Wait what?" Saitama asked.

"After the inciddent with the mosquitoes a few days ago the association started to look into The House of Evolution, but it was only after they came to see you and when you told Tornado about it that they decided call us in to help them with an attack." King explained.

"Whoa attack them? but all they did was talk to me." Saitama pointed out.

"Yeah well the association sees that as an attempt to turn you into a villain or monster." King told him "But none of that matters! we're about to land and you NEED to get here before everyone starts going nuts and someone get's hurt or killed!" He exclaimed.

"Alright I'll be there as soon as I can." Saitama assured "Just keep them from fighting for as long as you can IF you can okay?" He asked.

"I'll try but hurry." King said before the call ended.

Unable to keep a heavy irritated sigh from escaping his lips Saitama after placing the phone back headed towards the door.

 _"So much for more peace and quiet..."_ He thought.

* * *

"Touchdown in one minute!" The pilot called out as they began to descend.

 _"I'd say perfect timing but this is anything BUT perfect..."_ King thought as the inside of the carrier was coated in red due to the warning lights.

If anyone had been talking or if Metal Bat and Flashy Flash had still been arguing once the pilot's announcement was heard and the lights came on they all went silent and waited to land. The ground as well as any nearby trees were soon assaulted by countless blasts of air originating from the carrier's propellers. It would only be but moments later after the carrier had landed that it's cargo door would drop open and the S Class heroes could exit.

"Alright let's get to it!" Metal Bat shouted as he walked out into the open space.

"Wait." Metal Knight's voice spoke from his robot causing them to stop.

"What is it Metal Knight?" S class rank twelve Superalloy Darkshine asked.

"Multiple vehicles on route to this location." Metal Knight answered "From their size and top speed they're most likely jeeps or hummers." He described.

"The association's intel didn't say there were more of them." Child Emperor pointed out.

"Never assume you know everything." Zombieman said as he prepared to draw his weapons "Especially when it comes to THESE people..." He added though in a lower more hate filled tone.

Though not taking as apparent of a stance as he was the other heroes did keep their focus towards the woods as the sound of the vehicles coming towards them reached their ears. Thankfully though they hadn't been a good ways away from their location as it was only fifteen or so seconds before the first came into view it being a solid black jeep the likes of which Tatsumaki recognized immediately.

 _"WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE?!"_ She thought angrily as her eyes widened from both shock and rage.

As a few more seconds passed soon what space was left in the area was quickly filled with several more solid black jeeps the number of which was almost enough to surround them. However even though Tatsumaki knew who these jeeps belonged to and were no doubt transporting she was unable to inform the other S class due to her whole body being consumed by rage. But luckily she would not need to offer clarity as to who these mysterious individuals were as the moment they came to a stop the first jeep's right side backdoor opened and out stepped none other than her sister Fubuki.

"So you see your main issue is that you tend to ramble you just need to keep it short and straight to the point." She spoke seeming to be in a conversation with someone who was still in the car "Also you repeat yourself a lot which is probably the MAIN reason people find your backstory so annoying and rage inducing." She added.

"I see." A blond haired seemingly dead eyed cyborg said as he followed behind her "Would you mind helping me to come up with a more streamlined delivery of my backstory?" He asked.

"Sure after we're done wiping these worthless bugs off the face of the planet." She answered before turning her head to look towards the building.

Or at least she would if her focus wasn't immediately shifted to the massive troop transport carrier that was a few feet away from her and her vehicles not to mention the entirety of the S class standing within it all except for Blast and Saitama of course.

"Who are they?" The Cyborg asked as he too looked towards them "Are they with The House Of Evolution?" He added.

Sadly instead of receiving an answer to his question the only words to come from anyone in that moment came from Tatsumaki as her rage had reached it's boiling point.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE FUBUKI?!" She questioned while pointing towards her.

"Uh oh..." Eyelashes, Mountain Ape, and Lily all said in unison before promptly closing the door to the jeep and locking it just as all the other Blizzard Group members were doing in their own vehicles.

"Tatsumaki?!" Fubuki asked before pointing towards her "What're you doing here?!" She asked seeming to have completely ignored her sister's EXACT same question.

"I ASKED YOU FIRST!" Tatsumaki replied before rising into the air and flying over to her stopping only a few inches from her face "NOW TELL ME WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE DOING HERE!" She demanded.

"I don't have to answer that." Fubuki stated as she crossed her arms whilst also giving her older sister a look which read "You're not the boss of me." which as one could imagine only angered Tatsumaki more.

"WHAT?!" She questioned wanting to see if her little sister would be so brazen as to repeat herself.

"Who is this?" The cyborg repeated causing Tatsumaki to move her venom coated death stare to him.

"THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU IDIOT SO STAY OUT!" She ordered.

"Do NOT talk to him like that!" Fubuki ordered in return regaining her sibling's focus.

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Tatsumaki replied.

However before these two could continue to shout at one another a loud mechanical noise came from the The House Of Evolution's Headquarters causing not only them but everyone else to look towards it. Upon doing so they all saw the front of the building begin to open in a way very similar to that of a warehouse's doors and as it did slowly but surely a sight come into view which while shocking most of the Blizzard Group didn't unsettle any of the S class in the slightest. That sight of course being none other than Doctor Genus standing in front of his most remarkable and powerful creations which consisted of Mosquito Girl, Armored Gorilla, Beast King, and Carnage Kabuto.

"Sorry to interrupt." Doctor Genus spoke as a smirk was present on his face "But I do believe all of you are here to take on me and my creations no?" He asked.

Now normally in response to this a number of things would happen such as Metal Bat responding with a taunt of some kind, Tatsumaki doing somewhat of the same though given the nature of this particular circumstance would more so be angered by his interruption, or even all of the S class in unison proceeding to approach them in silence readying themselves to fight. But instead of any of those responses along with many others instead what happened was something no one expected it being Zombieman with great speed took off running towards the other with his long bearded axe drawn and ready to swing.

"AT LAST!" He shouted as he was upon his foe "I'VE FOUND YOU!" He added as he began to bring down the axe.

Sadly just as the axe began it's decent towards it's target Zombieman felt his eyes widen as a sudden force made contact with his abdomen before it sent him flying through the air and embedding him in the carrier's side. Caught off guard by what had just happened everyone looked towards the doctor as to see what was responsible only to find the largest of his creations suddenly standing in front of him with a immensely smug grin on it's face.

"As you can see." Doctor Genus began as his smirk grew into a smile "My creations are far more than what they may appear they are smarter, faster, and by every account stronger than all of you put together." He explained "So as one could imagine for you to try and take on not one but ALL of my strongest shows just how arrogant you truly are." He taunted.

And of course as anyone would expect the moment this taunt left his lips and reached everyone's ears the more enlarged egos of the S class responded immediately specifically Metal Bat and Tatsumaki.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING ARROGANT?!" Metal Bat questioned as he pointed his weapon towards them "I'M ABOUT TWO SECONDS AWAY FROM SMASHING YOU INTO THE GROUND!" He threatened.

"Oh really?" Doctor Genus asked seeming to find great amusement in his words.

"WIPE THAT STUPID SMILE OFF YOUR FACE!" Tatsumaki ordered gaining his attention "YOU'RE ONE TO TALK ABOUT ARROGANCE THINKING THAT YOU COULD JUST APPROACH ONE PUNCH MAN OUT OF NOWHERE!" She berated.

"But we DID approach him." He pointed out causing his smile to grow "And we didn't just approach him but we also were invited into his domicile and were allowed to sit with him and have a conversation." He added.

To say there is a wide range of emotions between all of the heroes including Genos upon hearing these words be spoken would be an immense understatement. To begin from lowest to greatest we have both Genos and King who aren't really mad, shocked, and etc at this information as both were basically there when all of this happened to some extent. Next is the B class as well as most of the S class heroes where upon hearing this while not having any raging flames of anger ignite within them did feel a bit of annoyance and irritation appear as the thought of this man and his monsters getting that seemingly chummy with Saitama was appalling. But it is here that we take a massive leap dear reader from irritation and annoyance to Armageddon levels of hatred, anger, rage, and in short homicidal urges as both Tatsumaki and Fubuki found the image of them relaxing in Saitama's abode when neither have even made it past his door sent them over.

"YOU BASTARD!" They both shouted in unison as they suddenly flew towards him via their ESP.

Yet as if the universe itself deemed there shall be no further conflict on this day just as they were about to reach doctor Genus and his creations while the other heroes readied to join in on the impending brawl something undetected by any of them fell down from the sky at seemingly mach speeds before it crashed down in the space between them causing them to stop. Completely stunned and frozen in place by the sudden impact no one seemed to care about the countless dirt and rubble that flew at or passed them for through the dust clouds they could make out someone and they all had a pretty good guess as to who it was.

 _"Thank GOD."_ King thought to himself as the first thing to break through the dust was the shine off of Saitama's bald head confirming all of their assumptions.

"FINALLY." Saitama spoke as he dusted himself off "I've been running around looking for this place and when I couldn't find it I just decided to leap into the air and see if I could spot it from up high." He explained to himself as he seemed to not know the others were staring at him.

Though this would not continue as after he was done dusting his costume off he took a look around himself and saw the multitude of eyes glued to him which in turn caused him to feel a bit uneasy.

"Um..." He sounded before looking down at himself "Is there something on me?" He asked unsure as to WHY they were all staring at him.

Unfortunately for Saitama instead of receiving ANY kind of answer or proper response Mosquito Girl suddenly appeared in front of him with a massive grin.

"OH MY GOD THAT WAS AMAZING!" She shouted gleefully as an overexcited squeal escaped her "YOU WERE LIKE A METEOR CRASHING DOWN FROM SPACE! ***** " She added.

 ***(Subtle Foreshadowing Is Subtle)**

However before he could come up with something to say to her or maybe even just a displeased look at her fangasming both Fubuki and Tatsumaki just as Mosquito Girl had done appeared in front of Saitama though their backs were turned to him.

"HEY!" They both shouted staying in unison "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TALKING TO HIM LIKE THAT?!" They asked.

"Excuse me." Saitama said whilst raising a finger hoping to get their attention.

" **I** HAPPEN to be his NUMBER ONE fan for YOUR information!" Masquito Girl replied which only caused their eyes to widen more.

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE!" They both shouted not seeming to care that Saitama along with everyone else was watching this.

"Hello?" He asked still seeking to get their attention.

"LIKE HELL I'M NOT!" Mosquito Girl rebutted as she placed a hand to her chest " **I** just so happen to have every piece of merchandise that has ever been made for him! that INCLUDES rare defects, misprints, and so on!" She listed.

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING!" Fubuki argued being the one to break their unison speech.

"If I could just say something." Saitama said though a bit louder so that they might HOPEFULLY hear him.

"I ALSO have every single one of his fights that has EVER been documented on video as well as the original newspaper articles written about him and all magazine coverage of him too!" Mosquito Girl countered.

"ANYONE COULD GET THOSE!" Tatsumaki argued this time.

Thankfully before this argument could proceed ANY further Saitama realizing he wasn't going to gain their attention by simply speaking clapped his hands together to get them to stop which mind you was done with his weakest clap and yet it STILL managed to cause a small shock wave to be sent through the air.

"ENOUGH!" He shouted as he gained their attention "First off I didn't come here to listen to a bunch of crazy fan crap, if I wanted to do that I would've just stayed home." He said "Second the REAL reason I came here is so all of you don't fight each other!" He admitted.

"Wait what?" The trio asked voicing the question that EVERYONE except for King was having come to mind upon hearing that.

"Let's get one thing straight." He began before he started to lightly hit his chest with an open hand "I. AM. A. **HERO** **.** " He said slowly as to make sure it stuck with them "I DO NOT plan on becoming a villain or monster and NO ONE is going to make me do so!" He assured looking towards the doctor "YOU!" He exclaimed causing the other to jump slightly.

"Y-Yes?" Doctor Genus asked.

"Do you promise not to be evil anymore?" Saitama asked in return.

"Um..." Doctor Genus sounded as he was unsure as to what to say.

"WELL?!" Saitama followed up CLEARLY not wanting to wait for him to think about it.

"Y-Yes!" Doctor Genus answered with a nod of his head "I promise not to be evil anymore!" He added.

"Then everything's fixed." Saitama said as he looked back to everyone else "If he's not evil anymore then that means he's not a villain which also means you all have no reason to fight." He explained "And if ANYONE has a problem with this feel free to say so now!" He offered to which EVERYONE kept silent "Good." He added before walking towards the carrier.

Watching him in silence as he approached the vehicle they all felt their eyes widen as he with no strain or issue at all removed an unconscious Zombieman from his place in it's side. After that had been done he then walked back to doctor Genus before holding up Zombieman in front of him.

"You're a doctor right?" He asked to which the other nodded "Then as your first act of being a former villain you're to make sure you didn't break Zombieman." He instructed as he handed him over before turning around and walking away once more.

Now most people if not EVERYONE given what had just transpired over the last few minutes would have simply kept quiet and watched Saitama continue on his way but since doctor Genus knew very well the strength Carnage Kabuto possessed he also knew the unlikely hood of this hero still being alive so he could not keep himself from speaking.

"But what if he's beyond saving?" He asked.

It was then for the first time ANYONE could think of that Saitama who was normally even when angry fairly easy going and in a sense "light" stopped dead in his tracks and upon doing so gave off an aura that made everyone feel as though they were about to witness something horrid.

"... **Then I'll punch** you."He answered casting but only a slight glare in the other's direction.

Yet it was in this one response, that one glare that everyone King AND Genos included felt their hearts be brought to a complete stop and their whole bodies go cold as the only thing ANY of them could think in response to that was but one word.

 _ **" DEATH"**_

However this would only last a second as Saitama's face seemed to go back to it's normal blank expression causing the gut wrenching aura to vanish.

"Well that's done." He said before continuing on his way "Time to go home." He said.

Watching in silence once again as he walked it wasn't until the very white of his cape disappeared into the woodlands that everyone felt countless thoughts race through their minds.

 _"Holy shit! I've never seen him so intense!"_ Was the general thought among most of the S class with the only variation being the words.

 _"So that's what he looks like when he's TRULY pissed..."_ King thought as this had been the first time he'd ever seen Saitama get so serious about anything.

 _"That's the top S class hero for you..."_ All of the Blizzard Group thought as they while shocked were also amazed by the intensity he gave off.

 _"My whole body is shaking violently..."_ Doctor Genus thought as he found himself struggling to stay standing _"To think after all this time of studying him I wasn't even comprehending the true terror that is his strength..."_ He added.

 _"No way I could ever be that strong..."_ Armored Gorilla, Beast King, and Carnage Kabuto all thought as the idea of fighting him began to creep into their minds which only shook them more.

 _"OH MY GOD HE WAS SO INTENSE!"_ Tatsumaki, Mosquito Girl, and Fubuki all thought as the only thing to come after said thought was internal fangirl squealing.

 _"This man..."_ Genos thought as he stared after him _"He's clearly as strong as he's been described...and his warning...it felt as though his words alone could kill..."_ He admitted.


	10. Punch Ten

Sleep to most is a blissful escape from our reality, it is a way for which we can wash away all of the stress of the day as well as any troubles that might be on the horizon. But then there are those where even in this unconscious state they know nothing of tranquility or peace for the lives they live never know a break of madness. Such is the case for the world's strongest hero One Punch Man for as of this moment he slumbers in his apartment trying to put the past few days behind him but alas even in his own domicile he cannot escape the madness of his life.

"ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!" The countless hordes of fans cheered from outside.

Now normally Saitama would be semi furious maybe even angered by his fans unrelenting praise and attention but as he laid there with his head resting on his pillow he simply stared at the wall not seeming to care in the slightest.

 _"It's happening again...normally I'd go out there, yell at them to stop cheering which would only cause them to cheer more, then I'd come back in and just do something to keep my mind off of it...but not this time..."_ He thought as he moved his gaze from his wall to the ceiling _"My emotions...they're becoming more and more difficult to feel...it's almost like I'm becoming incapable of feeling them..."_ He continued as he closed his eyes _"I never gave it any real thought...but maybe...in exchange for my strength...I lost something that's essential to being human?..."_ He wondered.

However before he could continue to think on this any further the sudden absence of his fans cheering caught his attention.

"Huh?" He sounded as he sat up in his bed "What happened? why'd they stop?" He asked himself as he proceeded to get to his feet.

After doing a bit of stretching as this had been the first time since yesterday he'd gotten out of his bed he made his way from his living room to the front door and opened it and what lay beyond it caused his eyes to widen in shock. Where the news crews and fans would normally be instead stood near ten foot tall creatures with brown colored skin and immensely strange heads. But this wasn't what shocked him what had him standing in his doorway paralyzed to the very core was the massive pool of blood that they stood in giving him a grim idea as to what had happened to everyone.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He shouted as his paralysis was swiftly being replaced by unbridled rage.

Sadly, before he could do anything else the sound of his floor breaking apart caught his attention, and before he could react he was met with a massive fist which punched him and sent him flying out of his apartment. Flying with great speed through the air it was but only a few seconds before he made contact with the overhead highway which ran near his apartment building, being embedded into one of the pillars which held it up as he did. Groaning from the impact Saitama as he began to pull himself free of the pillar felt something warm on his head before something red came over his right eye revealing that it was blood.

HIS blood.

"How strange." A deep voice spoke in front of him "No surface dweller has survived our punches so far." It noted.

Looking up from himself Saitama saw a horde of the creatures beginning to surround him however the one directly in front of him seemed to have fresh blood on one of it's fists indicating it was the one that had hit him.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked as he finally freed his body from the pillar landing on his feet as he did.

"We are the true earthlings." The creature answered as he gestured to the others "But you surface dwellers refer to us as subterraneans." He added.

Now that he knew the nature of the creatures before him Saitama cast a quick look to the blood which flooded the street behind them before looking back to the one in front of him.

"Are you responsible for this?" He asked even though he knew well what the answer was.

"Yes." It answered "You see we are facing an overpopulation issue so we made the decision to come to the surface." He explained "However we then discovered you surface dwellers were facing a similar issue which was a problem." He continued "So it is because of this fact that we have decided to kill all of you and take the surface for ourselves, as of this moment seventy percent of the population has been killed, this is a battle for survival I hope you can understand that." He concluded.

Unable to keep himself from gritting his teeth Saitama as his rage only grew more and more felt his hands instinctively ball into fists.

"However this is something we have not seen." It admitted as it got closer "No surface dweller has survived a punch from us which is peculi-" It was saying until it was cut off by a blow to it's abdomen.

Caring not for anything else that it had to say Saitama before it had a chance to react threw forth an uppercut which after having connected caused the creature's body to explode outward sending it's blood and insides out through it's back. Watching in disbelief and horror as one of their own fell to the ground now nothing but a pair of legs and viscera the subterraneans had not even a second to react before more soon found themselves exploding in the very same fashion all at the hand of the surface dweller.

"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS YOU BASTARDS!" He shouted as he continued to decimate them with no issue whatsoever.

Whether it was his declaration of battle or perhaps the shock wearing off those who had not yet died by his hand felt rage course through them which sent them running forward to attack their foe wanting nothing more than to see him die. Unfortunately even with their number AND size advantage one after the other they continued to die causing more to come from the ground below to join in.

 _"What is this?!"_ Saitama thought as something strange was happening inside of him _"My heart...it's beating faster!"_ He realized as he continued to fight on _"My blood it's boiling! and my body is starting to sweat! even my lungs are beginning feel short of breath!"_ He listed just as a subterranean the largest one so far rose from the earth and threw a punch in his direction _"This...I REMEMBER THIS!"_ He discovered causing his eyes to go wide _"THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE A REAL FIGHT!"_ He concluded as he punched the other's fist causing it's whole arm to break apart along with some of it's shoulder.

 **THUMP**

 **THUMP**

 **THUMP**

 **THUMP**

With each passing beat the sound from within him grew louder and faster as punch after punch more of the subterraneans died yet more and more still came from below with no end in sight. But it didn't matter to Saitama for while he was still fighting for those who had been killed unjustly at the same time he could not keep himself from being lost in the feeling of his body being pushed and tested as it used to when he first started training, for this was the first time in so long that he felt alive. Even time itself seemed to be lost as the fight raged on had it been going on for minutes?, hours, or maybe even a day? it was hard to say, for the only time in which he could think clearly was when finally after every conceivable space that surrounded him was filled to the brink with the creatures' remains whilst he stood on top of it all seeming to be on the verge of collapse. Thankfully though as the heavens seemed to show praise for his victory the skies darkened with clouds and a downpour began bringing both relief and refreshment to his tired form.

"Finally..." He breathed as he doubled over keeping his head between his knees "It's over...they're dead...the surface is safe..." He said to himself as he did his best to steady his breathing.

Sadly for our fair hero there would be no time to rest as the ground began to break apart and the cause of such was another subterranean though this one was the biggest by far around the size of a mountain at least. Furthermore it had two extra arms and it was dressed in mayan esque attire which matched the laser swords it held in each hand as the design of their handles were very similar.

"I see you've been keeping my children busy surface dweller!" It spoke it's voice like thunder crashing through the sky "Let's see how well you can handle yourself against the Subterranean King!" It challenged as it readied itself to strike.

Even though his breathing was still erratic and his body was worn down Saitama with a stern glare and his fist reared back without so much as a word charged towards the looming figure leaping into the air once he was but a few feet away from him.

"LET'S GO!" He shouted as their fight was underway.

* * *

 **RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING SMASH**

Those were the sounds which reached Saitama's ears as out of instinct the moment his alarm clock started to go off he brought his hand down onto it in hopes of silencing it. Yet today was much different for as he blinked a few times to ensure he was where he believed he was the slightest tiniest tinge of anger appeared for a second or so as it seemed all that had just transpired was but a dream. Which is EXACTLY why instead of simply pressing down on the device he hit it with his fist which sent it not only through his floor but all the others only stopping when it hit concrete.

"...*Sigh*..." He breathed as the minuscule of anger he felt left returning him to his normal non feeling self.

If anything it wasn't rage he should be feeling at that but more so disappointment for this wasn't the first nor would it be the last time a dream like that had happened, in fact they occurred on a frequent basis. Then again if it weren't for these kinds of dreams he wouldn't dream at all, for what was there to dream of? Money, fame, power, and so on he had it all and in such a copious amount he could lose three fourths of it and still be better off than nearly everyone he knew. But there was something different about this dream for unlike the others where he would simply be sleeping and be awoken by some monster that could match him blow for blow this one began with him asking himself those questions.

"I think I need to take a me day." He admitted as he sat up in his bed "The other heroes can handle anything that comes up I've been stressed these past few days and just need a breather." He decided before he got to his feet.

Proceeding to tidy up the space a bit due to the thrown about blanket and other miscellaneous things that laid about once that had been taken care of he went to his kitchen as to begin making breakfast. Yet as he was just about to open the fridge and see what it was he was in the mood for today a knock at his door caused him to stop.

"Who could that be?" He asked aloud as he knew very well no reporter nor fan would ever be brazen enough to knock on his door.

Making his way from the kitchen to his front door upon reaching it he looked through the peep hole and found a surprising sight.

 _"What're they doing here?"_ He wondered as he opened his door.

Wincing a bit as the daylight caught him by surprise once his vision had adjusted he looked to the two women standing on the other side.

"Uh hey." He greeted with a slight wave of his hand "What's up?" He asked hoping to gain an understanding as to why they were here.

"...We...we need to tell you something..." Fubuki confessed as she did her best to avoid eye contact.

"Oh? what is it? " He asked.

"...Can...can we come in?" She asked still adverting her gaze.

Looking between the two women with a raised brow Saitama while able to clearly see the nervousness that Fubuki was feeling when he looked to Tatsumaki he found she was looking at him as she always had with a glare. Yet as he continued to look at her, specifically her eyes, he could've sworn that she seemed to be nervous just as her sister was, though it was probably just his imagination.

"Sure." He answered looking back to Fubuki "Come on in." He instructed as he stepped aside to allow them entry.

Nodding her head as to show her understanding Fubuki walked into the apartment with Tatsumaki following right behind.

"Sorry if it's a bit messy." He apologized as he closed the door behind them "I just woke up and haven't even had breakfast yet." He explained.

"It's fine." Tatsumaki replied instead of her sister which admittedly surprised him since she had been quiet till now.

Taking their seats at his table they both waited until Saitama came over and sat across from them before either decided to say a word more.

"So." Tatsumaki spoke as he sat down "Bet you're wondering why we're here aren't you?" She asked.

"Yup." He answered which seemed to anger her.

"Could you at least ACT like you're interested?!" She asked crossing her arms as she did.

"Um...sorry?" He apologized confused as to why she was suddenly getting upset.

"Tatsumaki." Fubuki spoke looking to her sister "For ONCE could you PLEASE not be such a brat?" She asked.

Now normally as Saitama had come to expect from her Tatsumaki upon being called a brat would get pissed off and start spouting off insults of all kinds, yet even though her own sister calling her a brat was a bit of a surprise the REAL surprise came from her reaction, for instead of doing what was expected her face softened and she seemed to relax.

"...Sorry..." She apologized with a sigh before returning her sister's look with her own "But you KNOW how hard this is for me." She stated.

"I know." Fubuki replied as she closed her eyes "But it's not fair to Sai-*AHEM* One Punch Man if we act rude or strange in his own home when he doesn't even know what all of this is about." She reasoned.

"Speaking of which." He spoke regaining their attentions "Would you two mind telling me what is going on? you're both acting really weird." He told them.

Casting one more glance at each other both sisters took another deep breath as to keep themselves calm before they looked towards him.

"Do...you remember...how we first met?..." They asked in unison causing him in turn to close his eyes as to think.

"Hmm..." He hummed as he thought trying to recall the first time he encountered the sisters.

* * *

 _" *Sigh* Another let down..." Saitama said in a disappointed tone as he walked down the street._

 _After having bested yet ANOTHER monster with a single punch this one having been some kind of giant fan monster, Saitama began to walk back to his apartment. Thankfully though it was fairly late so there weren't too many people out which in turn meant he wouldn't be bothered by any fans or reporters so he could take a nice long stroll instead of having to run all the way back. However as he continued on his way he began to hear two people shouting and from their voices they sounded like women._

 _"What were you thinking Fubuki?!" One of the voices questioned it's tone clearly indicating anger "You could have been killed!" It berated._

 _"Why do you even care Tatsumaki?!" The other voice replied it also seeming to be angry "It's not like I ever asked you to come and save me!" It argued._

 _"I had to come save you! you idiot!" The first voice countered "I'm always having to save you when you get in over your head! because you won't get rid of those weaklings who are holding you back!" It scolded._

 _"DON'T CALL THEM WEAK!" The second voice barked back "They're strong! all of them! if anything the weakest one here is you!" It protested causing the first voice to laugh._

 _"HA! THAT'S HILARIOUS! ME?! WEAK?!" It questioned._

 _"YES YOU! YOU'RE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT STRENGTH AND HOW YOU'RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE! BUT THE FACT IS YOU'RE THE MOST INSECURE, PETTY, SCARED PERSON I'VE EVER KNOWN!" The second voice answered._

 _It was then that instead of hearing another shout from the first voice that Saitama heard something be slammed into a building nearby and from how loud it was whatever had done it used a sizable amount of force. Unsure as to what had happened Saitama rushed to the source only to find two women one tall with black hair and one short with green hair but both in full body black dresses and possessing the same green iris having a confrontation in an alleyway. However the confrontation wasn't a normal one for both women had this green light surrounding their bodies as well as the black haired one was pushed into the wall a few feet above the ground._

 _"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" The shorter one spoke revealing herself to be the owner of the first voice "ALL I'VE EVER DONE IS TRY TO HELP YOU BE STRONG! AS WELL AS PROTECT YOU! AND THIS IS HOW YOU TALK TO ME?!" She questioned as the other woman was pushed further into the wall indicating that whatever the green light was it was coming from her which to be fair made sense given her green hair._

 _"OH I'M SORRY! AM I SUPPOSED TO BE NICE TO YOU?! EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE CONSTANTLY BELITTLING ME AND MAKING ME FEEL LIKE SHIT?!" The other woman questioned "BECAUSE IF SO THEN YOU CAN FORGET IT TATSUMAKI BECAUSE THAT KIND OF TREATMENT IS RESERVED FOR PEOPLE I CARE ABOUT!" She shouted._

 _However instead of responding with words the light which surrounded Tatsumaki began to get brighter as her already angered expression worsened._

 _"DAMN YOU FUBUKI!" She shouted as she readied herself to attack no longer wishing to hold back._

 _Suddenly though as Fubuki closed her eyes expecting to be hit by a powerful surge of her sister's ESP a loud "CRACK" rang out through the air followed by her falling to the ground. Unsure as to what had just transpired she slowly opened her eyes expecting to find her sibling but instead found a face that ANYONE would know._

 _"O-One Punch Man?' She asked causing the other to look at her._

 _"Yeah that's me." He answered as he held out a hand to her "Are you okay?" He asked._

 _Still confused as to what was going on as well as where Tatsumaki was seeing as how she was still on the ground Fubuki reached out and grabbed onto his hand which caused him to pull her to her feet._

 _"Yeah I'm fine..." She answered as she straightened out her dress "Where's my sister?" She asked._

 _"Oh you mean the midget?" He asked before looking down into the alley "She's over there." He answered as he raised a finger to point._

 _Following his direction Fubuki's eyes widened at a sight which she NEVER thought she'd see before in her whole life, her sister the STRONGEST person she knew was lying on the ground holding her cheek as if she had been struck._

 _"W-What happened?..." She asked as she was still trying to process the scene before her._

 _"I saw her attacking you, so I slapped her." He answered causing her to move her gaze back to him._

 _"Y-You slapped her?" She asked "Y-You mean to tell me you actually got CLOSE to her?..." She asked earning a nod in a response._

 _"Yeah that's right." He said "It's not like it was anything special of course it was just a slap on the cheek, though she did go a lot farther than I thought she would." He admitted._

 _However before the two could continue their conversation a massive chunk of concrete was suddenly sent speeding towards them, but as quickly as it had appeared it was destroyed as without even averting his gaze from Fubuki he simply held out his fist due to instinct and shattered it as it made contact._

 _"Hm?" He sounded as he looked towards Tatsumaki only to find she was now standing on her feet seeming to be furious all the while her left hand was still holding her cheek._

 _"HOW DARE YOU!" She shouted as she pointed to him "FIRST YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO BUTT INTO OUR BUSINESS AND THEN YOU SLAP ME?!" She questioned._

 _"It wasn't your business." He responded causing her to get angrier._

 _"WHAT?!" She asked her whole face started to get red almost as if it were trying to match her bruised cheek._

 _"If you're gonna have a shouting match with your sister then do it indoors and not outside where ANYONE can hear you, otherwise you're just being a nuisance." He told her._

 _Unfortunately for Saitama that reply or perhaps the word "nuisance" set her off completely and instead of saying anything more she simply sent him straight down and kept doing so until he was damn near the center of the planet._

 _"There." She said as she glared towards the hole he disappeared into "How's THAT for a nuisance?" She asked._

 _"Tatsumaki what're you think-" Fubuki began to say to her sister only to stop dead cold._

 _"Are you going to finish that?" Tatsumaki asked as she found her sister's sudden silence to be strange._

 _Unable to respond to her sibling Fubuki simply stared at her though as she continued to look at her it seemed as though she was actually staring at something BEHIND her, so she began to turn around as to see what it was she could POSSIBLY be looking at. And never in her whole life had Tatsumaki regretted something as much as she did that decision._

 _"You really ARE a brat aren't you?" A dirt covered Saitama asked as he looked down towards her._

 _"N-No..." Tatsumaki muttered wide eyed as she took a step back "Th-There's no way...NO WAY THIS IS POSSIBLE!" She shouted as if trying to deny what was right in front of her._

 _Sadly no matter how hard she wanted to try and look away or pretend like this was some kind of dream as the expressionless face of Saitama looked to her she found herself unable to look away as well as move any further back, completely frozen like a deer in the headlights._

 _"I-I'M THE STRONGEST PERSON IN THE WORLD!" She protested as to try and make herself seem intimidating "Y-YOU'RE JUST SOME STUPID BALDY! A BOILED EGG! A LIGHT BULB!" She insulted hoping it would gain her SOMETHING in the way of leverage_

 _Much to her dismay however instead of responding with words or even just SOMETHING in the way of a readable expression Saitama instead began to reach out towards her. And it was then that for the first time in what seemed like an eternity that Tatsumaki did something she vowed she would never do again, that she would never ALLOW herself to do. She shut her eyes tight in fear bracing for whatever was about to happen._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _*pat*_

 _Feeling her eyes shoot open at the contact Tatsumaki looked up towards Saitama wondering if he was trying to grab onto her head but found he had just patted her head._

 _"You shouldn't fight with your sister." He told her as he brought his hand back to his side._

 _"W-What?..." She asked utterly confused._

 _"I could hear you two shouting from down the street, and while it's none of my business it sounds like you two have a LOT of issues which aren't going to get solved with you just fighting about it." He explained "Then again I don't have a sibling so I guess my advice doesn't really have a lot of merit does it?" He asked._

 _Much as how her sister had done before Tatsumaki was doing her best as to try and process what was happening causing her to remain silent._

 _"But even so." He spoke again as he looked to the sky "There'd be a lot less problems in the world if people talked more and fought less..." He reasoned causing a chuckle to escape him "Though I guess that's kinda weird coming from a guy who punches people for a living huh?" He asked though unlike before he wasn't looking for an answer "Whelp, time to go home and take a bath, you covered me in dirt." He decided before he walked past her and down the alley._

 _Continuing to remain in a seemingly paralyzed state Tatsumaki would have remained that way for who knows how long if Saitama hadn't spoke up one more time._

 _"Hey." He said gaining not only her attention but Fubuki's as well "My name's Saitama by the way, if we ever see each other again call me that instead of One Punch Man, I get enough of that from the fans." He told them before continuing on his way._

 _And so as Saitama left the two sisters in the alley to deal with what had just happene_ _d both moved their gazes to each other as if communicating to each other via telekinesis._

* * *

"Oh yeah." He spoke as the memory finished playing in his mind "You both still haven't called me Saitama, especially you Tatsumaki." He pointed out.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO FOCUS ON!" They both shouted in unison the sheer volume being enough to push him back slightly.

"...Okay." He said plainly as he sat back upright "Then what WAS I supposed to focus on?' He asked.

"LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE!" Tatsumaki shouted as she stood up slamming her hands down onto the table as she did "WE WANTED YOU TO FOCUS ON THE ENCOUNTER SO WHEN WE TOLD YOU WE HAD A CRUSH ON YOU, YOU'D UNDERSTAND WHEN IT GOT STARTED YOU IDIOT!" She explained to him only to IMMEDIATELY place her hands over her mouth the moment she was finished.

Silence filled the apartment's space as her words seemed to be sinking in, like someone trapped in quicksand.

 _"OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!"_ Tatsumaki mentally screamed as she couldn't believe what she had just said.

 _"OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!"_ Fubuki ALSO mentally screamed just as her sister was all the while she was frozen stiff with her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"..." He remained silent which only worsened their panic "...Okay...and is that supposed to surprise me or?..." He asked seeming to SOMEHOW make their eyes wider as he did.

"YOU KNOW?!" They asked in unison.

"Of course I know." He answered "Look I might not be the smartest guy around but when you have as many fans as I do you pretty much see EVERYTHING in regards to how people act whether it be like crazy lunatics or shy children there's NOTHING I haven't been exposed to." He explained.

"B-But if you knew then why didn't you say anything?..." Fubuki asked.

"Because you two are the most normal fans I have." He answered with a shrug "I mean sure you could be a bit weird at times but you were never ANNOYING...okay maybe Tatsumaki was a LITTLE annoying with the constant insults but other than that you two never did things that the fans normally do." He explained.

"Like what?" Tatsumaki asked.

"For starters you don't camp outside my apartment building." He began as he put a hand to his chin "But looking past that stalker level of dedication you also don't try to cling to me like a parasite, you don't cheer my name every two seconds, in short while you two ARE fans of me you're still ACTUAL people and you treat ME like a person instead of some kind of idol who needs to be worshiped." He answered.

Silence once more came over the air of the apartment as the sisters let his response sink in, they actually to their surprise felt their hearts begin to beat slower as well as their bodies begin to cool showing that they were calming down.

"So...this doesn't bother you right?" Fubuki asked.

"I don't see why it would." He told her "It's like I said out of ALL the people who have crushes on me you guys don't go digging through my trash or something else that's really just creepy and stupid, all you do is get a little flustered but other than that you still act normal which I appreciate." He explained with a smile.

Upon seeing him smile if there was any nervousness or worry still present in the sisters it quickly vanished as what they thought would be the single worst moment in their lives turned out to possibly be the best.

"I do have one question though." He admitted "Why is it you guys developed crushes for me? like the specific reason." He asked making sure to specify what he was seeking clarity on.

"Well..." Fubuki began as she thought on it "I guess for me it was the fact you were willing to help me, as well as the fact that as we kept running into each other you never brushed me off or ignored me due to my ranking in the association, which is something I wasn't used to given that Tatsumaki always stressed being strong was the most important thing in the world, so it was nice knowing someone where that didn't matter at all." She explained.

"Oh." He sounded before looking towards Tatsumaki "And what about you?" He asked.

"..." She kept silent while staring towards her lap "...Ever since I was a kid...people tried to make me into a weapon...then a time came when those people left me to die...so it was either be strong enough to survive...or be killed..." She began "But once it was over I thought that maybe the world wasn't like that, that people were actually good and things would be better..." She went on "But they weren't, everyone was just like them only paying respect to those who were the strongest while the weakest were trampled..." She continued before moving her gaze from her lap to him "But then you came along...and that night happened...and instead of killing me for what I did to you which anyone else if they were as strong as you would've you didn't...and so...that's how MY crush developed..." She finished.

"All because I showed you mercy?" He asked causing her to close her eyes whilst letting out a small chuckle.

"Well YEAH if you want to make it as simple as that." She answered.

"Huh." He sounded as he leaned back using his hands to keep him from falling to the floor "Well I guess that's that then." He said as he looked between them "So what do you two plan to do now that this is all out in the open?" He asked.

Though not completely surprised by his question both sisters didn't have a response at the ready for it and so they looked towards each other seeming to have a conversation over telekinesis which only lasted a minute or two before they looked back to him.

"If it's alright with you Saitama...could we maybe...stop by sometime?" Fubuki asked "Just to hang out of course, like how King does." She added.

"Yeah sure that's fine with me." He answered "I mean you guys ARE my friends so it's kinda weird you haven't done that yet anyways." He admitted.

"You see us as friends?" Tatsumaki asked as that surprised her a lot more than it did Fubuki.

"Well you're not enemies." He reasoned "And while we've never ACTUALLY hanged out before we've been around each other enough to where I'd say we're more than just acquaintances so yeah friends seems right." He added.

Feeling for the first time in a long while true genuine smiles comes to their faces both Fubuki and Tatsumaki couldn't keep themselves from showing their appreciation.

"Thank you." They both said in unison bowing their heads slightly as they did.

"Hey no need to make a big deal out of it." He told them "Though now we have to do something to make it truly official." He admitted.

"What?" They asked.

"We have to have a meal together." He answered as he got to his feet "Me and King always have something to eat when we hang out and because it's still morning that means I can make us all breakfast." He explained as he went to the kitchen

"Oh no we wouldn't want to make you cook for us." Fubuki said though it was completely shot down as Tatsumaki spoke up right after.

"Can you make pancakes?" She asked causing her sister to give her a "What're you doing?!" sort of look.

"Sure." He answered as he turned on his stove.

And so while Fubuki was a tad bit irritated at how seemingly relaxed Tatsumak was to be at taking advantage of Saitama's hospitality both sisters admittedly felt as though a massive weight had been taken from them causing their smiles to grow a tad bit bigger.


	11. Punch Eleven

*Knock Knock*

"Hm?" Saitama sounded as he put down his mixing bowl "I wonder who that could be?" He asked as he walked over to the door.

As he had done with the the sisters, before opening his door Saitama looked through the peephole as to know who was standing on the other side and the moment he saw who it was a smile found it's way onto his face as he opened the door.

"Hey King." He greeted causing the other to upon hearing it smile as well.

"Hey Saitama." King replied "Hope I didn't wake you up." He said.

"Nah you're cool." Saitama assured "I'm actually making breakfast if you want some." He offered.

"Oh thanks." King said as he walked in.

"So why're you over so early?" Saitama asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Well I actually wanted to stop by and see if you were okay after yester-" King began to say until his eyes fell upon the two ESP sisters.

"Oh yeah these two stopped by too." Saitama said as he went back to the kitchen.

"It's an honor to meet you King." Fubuki spoke as she got to her feet "My name is Fubuki, though my hero name is Blizzard Of Hell and my rank is the number one in B class." She introduced as she held out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you." King replied as he shook her hand "But you don't have to act so formal." He told her.

"Right sorry." She apologized before sitting back down next to her sister.

"So King." Tatsumaki spoke gaining his attention "What're you doing here so early in the morning?" She asked as if her presence within Saitama's abode was to be expected.

"I just wanted to check on him to see if he was okay is all." He answered.

"Check on me?" Saitama questioned from the kitchen as he began to stir the contents of the mixing bowl "Why?" He added.

"Because I've never seen you get so angry before." King answered "It was like I was looking at a completely different person." He admitted.

"Yeah you were pretty intense Saitama." Fubuki chimed in _"Though it WAS really sexy~"_ She thought as a light blush came to her face.

"Well yeah of course I was." Saitama said as if it was something they should've expected "Looking past the fact everyone was going to fight over something ridiculous Zombieman got hurt, and if the damage was worse than what it seemed someone was gonna pay." He explained.

"But it wasn't just what you said Saitama, it was also that aura you gave off it was like you changed into something else." King argued.

"What do you mean?" Saitama asked.

Thinking as to how he could possibly describe it in a way which would make the most sense King as he thought back to that moment had the word which had popped into his head at that time appear again.

"...It was like you were death itself." King answered.

Upon hearing that response Saitama stopped stirring the batter inside the mixing bowl but not out of surprise or some other emotion but simply to think.

"...I guess." He said with a shrug before returning to stir the batter "I mean to be fair we're talking about ME here, the guy who can end any fight in one punch, so even if I were to say something like "I'll slap you" that would be terrifying because of how strong I am." He reasoned.

Just as he had done King went silent as well to think on what was said and in truth he agreed with it, for if anyone else threatened to slap him while being caught off guard he certainly wouldn't be afraid but if SAITAMA was the one saying it he'd be scared for his life.

"At any rate sorry that I had you worried." He apologized "Though to be honest I WAS planning on taking a me day after yesterday." He admitted.

"How come?" King asked.

"Stress mainly." Saitama answered "I mean looking past the fans and reporters things just seem to be WAY more hectic than usual between The House of Evolution coming to see me, the terrorists that were going around blowing things up while having bald heads like mine, and of course the fact I had to go and keep everyone from killing each other things have just been WAY too hectic even for me." He explained.

"That last one's not your fault though." King said as he looked to Tatsumaki "If anything it's Tornado's fault for telling the association about it." He accused causing her to adorn a look of shock.

"HEY!" She exclaimed before pointing towards her sister "Fubuki was planning on doing the EXACT same thing! so don't try to make ME out to be the one at fault here!" She argued.

"That is true." Fubuki agreed "Though to be fair after having seen those monsters we probably would have retreated anyways." She admitted.

"So it was your fault then." King said piling the blame back onto Tatsumaki.

"SHUT UP!" She shouted before standing "You might be Saitama's sidekick but that doesn't mean I won't squash you like a bug if you don't watch it!" She threatened.

However before Saitama or Fubuki could say something in hopes of calming Tatsumaki down ANOTHER knock was heard at the door catching them all by surprise.

"Who could that be?" They all unintentionally asked in unison as Saitama once again set the mixing bowl down onto the counter before going over to the door and looking through the peephole, which upon doing so caused his eyes to widen.

"Oh hey!" He exclaimed somewhat excitedly as he opened the door "It's you!" He added as a smile appeared on his face.

"Hello." Genos greeted with a small bow of his head "I do not mean to bother you but I was hoping that you and I could talk about something, which I know is strange given we have not had a truly proper conversation yet." He explained as to why he was there.

"Yeah of course man come on in!" Sataima welcomed as he stepped aside allowing the other to enter "I've actually wanted to talk with you some more but stuff kept happening so I wasn't able to get around to it." He explained.

"I see." Genos replied before he looked towards the others who stared at him "Oh you have company." He said.

"Yeah but the more the merrier right?" Saitama asked "Hey are you into pancakes?" He asked.

"I have not had them in a long time, so I do not know." Genos answered.

"Then I'll make you a batch too!" Saitama decided as he went back into the kitchen "Just have a seat I'll have them done in no time!" He assured.

Nodding his head to show his understanding Genos proceeded to follow his instruction and took a seat on the left side of the table.

 _ **"Fubuki..."**_ Tatsumaki spoke to her sister via telekinesis.

 **(A/N: For all future conversations which happen via telekinesis they will be both BOLD and ITALIC as to separate them from regular thoughts which are just Italic)  
**

 _ **"Yes Tatsumaki?"**_ Fubuki asked looking towards her sister as she did.

 _ **"This guy was with you yesterday and now he's here plus Saitama seems to really like him so tell me who he is!"**_ Tatsumaki demanded

 ** _"His name is Genos and as you could tell he's a cyborg yet I do not know what his relationship with Saitama is."_** Fubuki stated.

 _ **"Well I don't like him."**_ Tatsumaki decided _**"In fact I'm going to see what else there is we don't know."**_ She added.

 _ **"What're you going t-"**_ Fubuki began to ask only to have their conversation be brought to it's end as Tatsumaki spoke vocally.

"So Genos." Tatsumaki began gaining his attention "Tell us how you know Saitama." She inquired.

"I first met him when the monster known as Mosquito Girl attacked City Z." He replied "Though admittedly I didn't really pay him too much attention until Mosquito Girl did, which was after I had tried to kill her." He added.

"TRIED you say?" She asked seeming to be amused "Did you even hurt her?" She added.

"Before she transformed into a more powerful form I had ripped off both her legs in exchange for one of my arms." He answered.

"So Saitama saved you then?" She asked "Because if what you're saying is true then it sounds like after she transformed she would've wiped the floor with you." She teased.

"I do not know." He answered "We never saw a display of her power because she was too focused on Saitama due to his lack of clothing." He explained which caused both her and Fubuki's eyes to widen.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN LACK OF CLOTHING?!" They questioned in unison.

"Naked." He simply answered.

"IS THIS TRUE?!" They asked now turning to look towards Saitama who as this whole conversation had been going on was already somehow nearly finished making the pancakes.

"Yup." He too simply answered "Genos used this super cool explosion attack to kill all of the mosquitoes and in the process my clothes got burned off." He explained "Which wasn't really a big deal until Mosquito Girl started going all fangirl on me." He admitted.

Unable to properly form any kind of words or thoughts both women only had ONE thing going through their minds it of course being what they imagined he looked like naked which in turn caused their faces to turn beet red.

"Pancakes are done!" He exclaimed as he put the last of the flapjacks onto a stack giving them in total two stacks of pancakes each having at least eight in total "Let's eat!" He said as he walked over to the table and set them down.

"We don't have plates." King noted as he sat down "Or silverware." He added.

"So? we'll just eat'em with our hands." Saitama replied as he too sat down "It's not like they're coated in syrup or anything." He added as he grabbed one whilst looking to Genos "So Genos." He said gaining the other's attention "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" He asked.

Upon hearing that question whether it was due to his lack of attention on the other or perhaps he was trying to think of what he should say Genos remained silent for a few moments all the while Saitama ate his pancake.

"...I want to study you." He answered causing the other to stop chewing.

"...What?" Saitama asked though it was a bit muffled due to the food in his mouth.

"Forgive me." Genos apologized with a bow of his head "I did not mean for that to come off as strange or weird yet at the same time I could not think of a simple way to summarize what my desire is." He explained.

"Um...okay..." Saitama said as he swallowed the bite in his mouth "Then why not just go ahead with the regular version?" He suggested.

"Okay." Genos agreed with a nod of his head "You see I seek to be strong no matter how long it takes or how much I must overcome I MUST be strong." He began "And from what I have learned about you over the past few days it seems as though everyone believes you to be the strongest person in the world." He continued "However you do not possess any kind of augmentation or gene modification so I wish to observe you so that maybe I might know how someone who was once a normal person can become as strong as you are." He finished.

Now taking his turn to be silent for a few moments as to think Saitama even with his focus on Genos could feel the other's eyes on him awaiting his response.

"...Tell you what." He spoke as he pointed to the other "If you promise not to act weird like most people do and just be casual about it I'll not only let you observe me but I'll also make you my disciple." He offered causing the other's eyes to widen.

"You mean that?" Genos asked receiving a nod in return.

"Yup." Saitama answered before looking to King "I mean I'm already helping King to become stronger so what's one more person?" He asked "Especially when that person treats me like a normal guy." He added as he looked back to Genos.

Completely amazed at what had just transpired Genos could not keep a small smile from appearing on his face as he bowed his head once more.

"Thank you." He said causing Saitama to also smile.

"It's no big." Saitama assured "Now let's eat these pancakes before they get cold." He said.

And so with that having been dealt with this unusual group began to feast upon the freshly made pancakes which were quite delicious.


	12. Punch Twelve

"Ah..." Saitama sounded as he finished his last pancake "Not meaning to brag or anything but I think I make pretty good pancakes." He said.

"No argument here." King agreed as he too had just finished his last pancake.

"They were very good Saitama." Fubuki complimented.

"They could've used syrup." Tatsumaki stated "But that's not to say they weren't great." She added not wanting to come off as rude which admittedly was a surprise to both her and the others.

"Yes, they were quite delicious." Genos complimented as well.

Satisfied that his friends found his cooking or at least his pancakes to be appealing Saitama took the now empty plates which the stacks once stood upon into his hands before proceeding to stand up and take them to the kitchen.

"So Saitama." Fubuki spoke as she looked towards him "What do you plan to do now?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" He questioned.

"You said you were going to take a me day." She answered "So I was just curious as to what that meant." She explained.

"Oh." He sounded "Well I really didn't have anything planned out in all honesty." He admitted "I was just gonna watch some TV and read manga." He confessed.

"Hey wait a minute." King spoke up as a thought occurred to him "Genos?" He said whilst looking to the other.

"Yes?" He responded.

"Are you registered with the association?" King asked.

"No." Genos answered.

"Then why don't we go down to the local branch and have him take the test?" King suggested "That way we can see how strong you are." He added.

"Pfft he doesn't need to take the test." Tatsumaki scoffed as she pointed to Saitama with her thumb "All Saitama would have to do is just tell them to make him S class and they'd do it in a heartbeat." She argued.

"Wait." Saitama said as he stopped washing the dishes "What do you mean by "take the test", since when is there a test?" He asked.

Silence like a breeze blew through the apartment as Fubuki, King, and Tatsumaki found themselves facing a reality that they hadn't considered.

"...Saitama." Fubuki spoke being the first of the trio "Did...you not take the hero's exam?..." She asked.

"Nope." He answered "After I saved that big chinned kid from Crablante and his grandfather to show his gratitude made the hero's association he put me at the top of S class first thing." He explained.

"S-So that means you don't have any records do you?" Tatsumaki asked.

"There are records?" He asked.

"Of course there are!" She exclaimed "Every S class hero set SOME kind of record!" She added.

"Oh what's yours then?" He asked.

"I have several." She admitted as a very proud smile came to her face.

"Yeah it's because you have ESP." King pointed out.

"SO?!" She questioned immediately getting angry "I STILL EARNED THEM! WHAT KIND OF RECORD DO YOU HOLD HUH?!" She asked.

"Reflexes." He answered seeming to surprise Saitama.

"Whoa really?" He asked earning a nod in response.

"Yeah, though I think it's because of all the games I play and not because I've heightened them through training." King explained.

"Even so that's impressive!" Saitama praised.

"WHATEVER NO ONE CARES!" Tatsumaki shouted before looking to Saitama "YOU NEED TO GO AND TAKE THE EXAM!" She ordered.

"What why?" He asked.

"SO YOU CAN SET YOUR OWN RECORDS!" She answered.

"But taking an exam sounds like so much work." He argued "And I just want to take a day off from any kind of stress and exertion." He groaned.

"Saitama it's really not all that bad." Fubuki assured "All they have you do is simple things like running, jumping, and so on it's nothing too demanding and it doesn't even take that long." She explained.

"Yeah! and besides Genos needs to take the exam anyway so we can get two things done!" Tatsumaki reasoned.

Looking at the her face Saitama knew that for whatever reasons she had Tatsumaki wanted him to take the exam and the more he fought against it the more she'd try to make him do it.

"Fine." He sighed "But after this I'm coming back here and I'm relaxing for the whole day." He told her.

Walking out of the kitchen and over to his costume which was lying on the floor he then picked it up and proceeded to go to his bathroom where he could change in privacy.

"Yes!" Tatsumaki cheered victoriously while throwing a fist into the air.

"What're you so excited about?" King asked with a raised brow "He's just going to take the exam, it's not like he's about to fight some kind of monster or something." He pointed out.

"Don't you get it?!" She asked whilst turning to him the tone of her voice making it sound like the reason behind her excitement was obvious "The whole point of the exam is to gauge people's talents and strengths so if he takes the exam we'll FINALLY know just how strong he is!" She explained.

"That does sound like it would be interesting to see." Fubuki admitted "I mean seeing Saitama kill monsters with a single punch is one thing, but to have an ACTUAL reading of what his full power is would be amazing." She said.

"I too would like to see this." Genos agreed "If I am going to be his disciple then I must know what his full strength is so I can understand the amount of training that will be required to reach his level." He explained.

"See! that's the spirit!" Tatsumaki exclaimed as she looked to King "Why can't you be as good of a student as him?" She questioned.

"Because I'm aware of my limitations." King answered "I do want to be stronger so Saitama's not forced to always save my life but even so there's no way I could ever hope to be even a fourth as strong as he is." He confessed.

"That's stupid." She berated "Saitama was a regular guy for most of his life! but then he became super strong!" She argued.

"Yeah but Saitama's not like everyone else." He countered "And I don't mean just because of his power, I mean that unlike other heroes he's not focused on fame, fortune, power, or even respect he just likes being a hero for both fun and to help people." He reasoned.

Much to his surprise instead of responding with some kind of counter argument Tatsumaki actually went quiet as what he said seemed to force her to stop and think about it.

"...Okay...you got me there..." She admitted "But even so once we he see how strong he is in numbers and words we'll ALL know more about him and his strength which we can use to make ourselves stronger too!" She reasoned.

Sadly before she could continue on or anyone else could say something more the bathroom door opened and out walked Saitama fully dressed in his costume.

"Alright let's go." He said as he closed the door behind him.

Following in his order the others rose from their seats and followed him out of the apartment eager to get things underway.

* * *

Has there ever been a point in your life dear reader where for just a moment you wondered to yourself "Am I in The Twilight Zone?" because if you have not then it will be fairly difficult for you to relate to our chrome domed hero at this point in time. Allow me to explain, so to begin after our group of assorted characters made their way through City Z to the local branch of the hero's association all the while avoiding as many fans as possible they while not surprised nor shocked discovered that there was no exam scheduled for the day. However even with that being the case once they made it evident that Genos was not the only one taking the test but ALSO Saitama you can best believe things quickly changed for their favor. Now the first thing that happened was the employee they spoke to ran straight to their superiors with the news that Saitama had never taken the test before but wanted to do so now which in a sense was equal to a lit match being thrown into a pool of kerosene.

For over the next half hour a number of things transpired all of which happened in a sort of domino effect way as once the employee's superiors had been filled in on the situation they then proceeded to notify Agoni himself who as one could imagine decided to make a grand spectacle of the whole thing. But it doesn't stop there, for after the initial announcement both via the website and a televised broadcast besides countless fans and reporters flocking to this branch to bear witness so this so did heroes from all classes and groups the likes of which included the Blizzard Group and all of the S class. Yet even THEN it miraculously went on as The House Of Evolution which mind you was now partnered with the association after the events of yesterday also came to the branch to spectate as everyone else was. But SURELY that was it right? that was the final bit of madness and insanity brought upon poor Saitama right?

And of course you'd be wrong for as the number of spectators began to rapidly increase the branch began to run short on space which meant they would have to conduct this test somewhere far more spacious so everyone would be comfortable and not cramped. Which then led to the whole thing being moved to a massive quarry far outside of the city where in very short time, (mainly thanks to Metal Knight's assistance), multitudes of bleachers, stands, and so on so forth were erected. However any person possessing even the smallest bit of business sense could see that this was a prime opportunity to get rich and so as the masses began to arrive and take their seats food vendors as well as merchandise dealers began to promote their goods. So now my dear reader we rejoin the present as of this moment Saitama is getting himself ready in a private locker room (also constructed by Metal Knight) for the exam, though at this point it was more so a show than a test.

" *Sigh*..." He breathed as he made sure his gloves and boots were on tight "I just wanted a ME day, was that REALLY too much to ask for?..." He asked himself as he released his grip on his boot.

Suddenly though as he was readying himself to go out there and get this whole thing over with a knock was heard at the door.

"Come in." He beckoned expecting it to be some member of the association or maybe even a fan who had somehow gotten past the security.

But thankfully much to his surprise as the door opened and he looked to see who it was he found Genos standing there which caused him to smile.

"Oh hey Genos." He greeted as he sat upright "What's up?" He asked.

Remaining silent as he looked towards him Genos walked into the room and took a seat next to Saitama.

"...Saitama." He spoke as he now had his gaze pointed to the floor "Is it always like this for you?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Saitama asked unsure as to what he was specifically referring to.

"You were just supposed to take the exam, but now it's like you're putting on a show." Genos answered.

"Ah, well yeah that's just how things are with me." Saitama replied "No matter where I go or what I do it's always a big deal, if anything I should've known this was gonna happen so it's my fault really." He decided.

"That's seems very annoying." Genos noted causing the other to chuckle.

"Oh hell yeah." Saitama said "From fans cheering my name twenty four seven, to bad guys always just surrendering when I fight them, and everything else my whole life is nothing but one shining spotlight to another." He explained "But hey what can you do?" He asked rhetorically as he stood up.

Heading for the door just as he was about to leave the room and get things started Genos spoke up once more which caused him to stop.,

"I don't know if it means anything." He said as he stared at the other "But I promise I won't act like they do." He stated.

Letting his words sink in Saitama though Genos could not see had another smile appear on his face.

"Thanks Genos." He replied before proceeding to leave the room.

* * *

"COME ON! WHEN'S THIS THING GONNA START?!" Metal Bat asked as he grew more restless.

While the fans, reporters, and other heroes had bleachers and stands to sit in the S class, House of Evolution, and association employees had a sort of V.I.P. viewing room that was not only luxurious but also sound proof as to block out the thunderous cheering of the crowd.

"Have some patience Metal Bat." Silver Fang spoke gaining the other's attention "No doubt this whole spectacle has taken it's toll on One Punch Man." He said.

"Yeah it must be hard to have so much attention all the time." Child Emperor admitted as he joined the conversation "I mean sure all the other kids in my class are fans of me but nothing like this." He confessed.

"I know I couldn't do it." Atomic Samurai said "I'd probably get irritated and start threatening people if they didn't leave me alone." He confessed

"None of us could." S class rank ten Drive Knight stated "We'd all either go insane or accidentally lash out due to the anger." He reasoned.

"So how does he do it?" Superalloy Darkshine asked "If we all agree none of us could deal with this kind of attention then how does he get by each day?" He added.

"Maybe it's his lifestyle?" Zombieman suggested "Even with how absurdly rich he is he still lives in a small apartment and he never does anything that's super expensive it's all really simply and down to earth." He reasoned.

"Zombieman?! when'd you get here?!" Superalloy Darkshine asked as the last time they saw him he was left in the care of doctor Genus.

"I came with these guys." Zombieman answered as he pointed to the House of Evolution who were directly to his right.

"Oh right you guys aren't evil anymore." Superalloy Darkshine said gaining the doctor's attention.

"That is correct." He stated as he pushed his glasses up "After everything was settled yesterday I decided the best course of action was to become a partner to the association as both sides could benefit from each other." He explained.

"I second this." The voice of Metal Knight spoke it of course coming from a robot.

"Yeah? well no one cares what you think." Metal Bat replied before he looked to the doctor "And as for YOU, don't think I've forgotten about that insult!" He exclaimed.

Meanwhile however as Metal Bat proceeded to go on about how he would be keeping his eyes on the doctor and his "freaks" on the other side of the room Mosquito Girl was by herself due to the fact she was more excited than a kid in a candy store.

"OOOOOOOOH THIS IS SO EXCITING!" She exclaimed joyfully to herself doing her best not to shout or squeal "I'll FINALLY get to see him show off his strength in person!" She added.

"Ahem." Two voices sounded from behind her gaining her attention.

Unsure as to who would want to speak with her Mosquito Girl turned around only to come face to face with Tatsumaki and Fubuki which caused her to scowl.

"What do YOU two want?" She asked.

"Listen bug." Tatsumaki spoke though she could not say anything further as Mosquito Girl kept her from doing so.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" She asked as Fubuki stepped in front of her sibling.

"Forgive my sister!" She pleaded as she raised her hands in front of her "She forgets sometimes to not act like a brat." She added.

"WHAT?!" Tatsumaki questioned.

 _ **"Tatsumaki PLEASE!"**_ Fubuki begged via telepathy as she kept her focus on Mosquito Girl "Look I KNOW things between us got off on the wrong foot and while we could argue over who was right, who was wrong, and so on both me AND my sister agree that it would be best if we simply buried the hatchet." She explained.

"Oh? and why should I?" Mosquito Girl asked "It's not like we know each other at ALL and even if we did I don't see us becoming friends anytime soon!" She pointed out.

"That is a fair point." Fubuki agreed "But as you said yesterday you believe yourself to be Saitama's number one fan right?" She asked.

"I don't "BELIEVE" I am I KNOW I am." Mosquito Girl corrected.

"THE HELL YOU ARE!" Tatsumaki shouted from behind her sister but was soon silenced as said sister proceeded to put an ESP barrier over her lips.

"Once again sorry about her." Fubuki apologized before continuing "As I said though we could stand here and just argue back and forth and never get anywhere but instead both I AND my sister want to offer an alternative." She said.

"...I'm listening." Mosquito Girl replied.

"Since me and my sister both see ourselves as his number one fans and YOU see yourself as his number one fan why don't we simply come together and make our own club?" Fubuki suggested.

Taking a moment as to consider her proposal Mosquito Girl seemed like she was going to turn them down as her expression hadn't changed in the slightest.

"...Sure." She said but immediately help up a finger "But only on one condition." She stated.

"Which is?" Fubuki asked.

"I want you to teach me how to act around him." Mosquito Girl answered "I want to get to know him more but I know the way I've been acting has done nothing but piss him off so if I accept your offer to form a club you have to help me not be so..." She trailed off as she was trying to find the best word.

"Overly interested?" Fubuki asked receiving a nod in response.

"Yeah." Mosquito Girl replied.

"If that's what it takes then consider your condition met." Fubuki agreed with a smile as she held out her hand.

Feeling a smile come to her own face as well Mosquito Girl shook the other's hand.

"You know I think you and I are are going to get along!" She said as they both pulled their hands back "Though your sister is a different story." She added.

"I can hear you!" Tatsumaki shouted as she finally removed the ESP barrier her sister had put over her mouth whilst also stepping out from behind her sibling.

However before they could continue on with their conversation they were interrupted by an association employee.

"Here he comes!" They exclaimed whilst pointing to the ground below causing not only the trio but everyone else to look out the window.

Sure enough as they all looked down at the open space of the quarry the unmistakable shine from Saitama's bald head came into view as he stepped out into the sunlight.

"ALRIGHT HERE WE GO!" Metal Bat shouted getting pumped up.

Even though their viewing area was sound proof that didn't keep it from being shaken ever so slightly as the crowd not only began to cheer in unison but also stomp their feet together too.

"ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!" They all cheered together unable to contain their excitement.

Continuing to cheer and stomp as he walked forward, Saitama looked to what lied ahead of him and saw countless different trials ranging from a track field to weight lifting and even a whack a mole machine (which he found COMPLETELY unusual) awaiting for him to partake in.

"Are you ready to begin One Punch Man?" An association employee asked as he approached the first trial it seeming to be side jumps.

"Yeah let's hurry up and get this over with." He answered.

"Alright." The employee said as they raised a stopwatch to their face "Do as many side jumps as you are able to in sixty seconds...ready...GO!" They shouted before firing off a pistol into the air.

The very MOMENT that the employee finished saying go Saitama's expression changed from it's normal blank state into one of complete seriousness and thus he began to do side jumps. Yet to say that he was simply side jumping would prove you were blind, for the speed in which he was doing those jumps was so great he was making afterimages of himself so solid it was almost like there were ACTUALLY multiple Saitamas all standing next to each other. And to say that everyone was completely shocked by this display again would only further prove that you are visually challenged as everyone not only had their eyes widen from shock but also had their mouths hang open for while they knew he was strong they hadn't even considered that his speed was just as great. But this was only the first of many trials and once this trial came to it's end he went on to the next and the next never ceasing in shocking everyone who watched on.

 _"Incredible!"_

 _"Amazing!"_

 _"Remarkable!"_

 _"Awesome!"_

 _"Unbelievable!"_

Were just a few of the countless thoughts going through everyone's minds as they marveled in the greatness that was their hero. But as there is with any performance there is an opening act before the main display and this was by no means an exception, for while all the trials up until this point were by no means pointless the ONE trial everyone wanted to see was also the last, it of course being the punching machine.

 _"Guess this is it."_ Saitama thought as he approached the apparatus _"One final trial and I'm finished."_ He added.

It was at this moment though that the toned down nature of everyone's reactions to what was going on turned back up to full as they all realized what they were about to see.

"ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!" They cheered somehow louder and more passionate than earlier.

"Ready when you are sir." The association employee said earning a nod in response.

However as everyone looked on and cheered for him Saitama whilst opening and closing his fist a few times decided that if there was ever a time to show his full strength it was now and so as he balled his hand into a fist one last time he brought his arm back and said.

"Killer Move, Serious Series, Serious Punch."

And then there was silence...or at least...that's the only word anyone in that moment could think of to describe what it was that was going on as the moment Saitama's fist after having been sent forwards made contact with the machine it seemed as if time was brought to a standstill and all sound had disappeared. But the truth was what had happened upon Saitama punching the machine was he had caused a sonic boom to occur which caused everyone while miraculously not going deaf permanently did make them so in this instance. Yet even if there were sound, if they were able to actually hear anything it's not like anyone would have been able to say a word for while there was no sound they still had their sight and what they had witnessed while amazing them sure also somewhat terrified them. For instead of seeing the machine be sent flying away from his punch as well as a dust storm be stirred up from the force his punch had been so powerful that the machine was just gone seemingly obliterated completely whilst any dust that would have formed from the dirt covered earth beneath him was blown away due to the shock wave which also blew back everyone's hair.

That of course includes mind you those who were in the V.I.P. lounge though besides having all sound be muted for the moment along with their hair having been blown back the window which they had been watching through was gone not shattered but COMPLETELY gone as if the shock wave had been so strong that nothing COULD remain. Of course even with all of this having transpired there stood Saitama with his fist raised in the air emitting smoke and his face reverting back to his standard blank expression.

"Well that's done." He said but only to himself as NO ONE else could hear it "Time to go home." He decided as he turned around and walked away.

Unknown by Saitama however as he walked away there was but only ONE person who seemed to be unaffected by what had just transpired at least in regards to the lack of hearing and as he watched the other walk away only one thing came to his mind.

 _"I want to be stronger..."_ Genos thought as he stared at Saitama with widened eyes _"But there is no way I could ever hope to be as strong as him...not even close...he's on an entirely different level..."_ He decided.


	13. Filler Punch One

"So..." Fubuki spoke as the silence was beginning to reach the apex of it's awkwardness "What should we talk about first?" She asked hoping to strike conversation.

Have you ever in your life dear reader agreed with someone to do something but both of you knew it was just for the sake of being polite and there was no way you both were ACTUALLY going to do what you said you would? Well that's what Tatsumaki thought when her sister came up with the idea to make a One Punch Man/Saitama fan club in hopes of making amends with the bug thing that they got into a shouting match with the other day. But as we know this was not as she believed it was and now after they had settled it with the other Fubuki setup a meeting for all three of them to make the club official which led to the three of them sitting around a table inside of an apartment right next to Saitama's. And yes before you ask he does not know about it.

"How about the name?" Mosquito Girl suggested.

"Yes that's perfect." Fubuki agreed with a smile which in turn caused the other to smile as well "What do you think Tatsumaki?" She asked looking to her sibling as she did who was resting her head in the palm of her hand.

"Yeah sure whatever..." She replied as she looked off to the side not seeming to care in the slightest.

"Alright then, any ideas?" Fubuki asked not letting her sister's attitude get to her.

"How about Number One, One Punch Man Fans?" Mosquito Girl suggested.

"Redundant." Tatsumaki commented.

"Ultimate One Punch Man Fans?" Mosquito Girl suggested.

"Too stupid." Tatsumaki commented though this time it earned the other's attention.

"I DON'T SEE YOU COMING UP WITH ANYTHING!" Mosquito Girl shouted as she slammed her hands down onto the table angrily.

Thankfully before any sort of fight or argument could come between the two Fubuki stood up and intervened.

"Tatsumaki can I have a word with you?" She asked before heading towards the door.

Not saying a single word Tatsumaki rose from her seat and followed her sister out of the apartment and once they were both outside watched as her sibling slammed the door shut.

"What?' Tatsumaki asked her expression indicating she still did not care in the slightest.

"Could you PLEASE make an effort here?" Fubuki asked causing the other to cross her arms.

"Why should I?" Tatsumaki asked "It's not like I'm suddenly going to be best friends with that overgrown bug which makes me wonder why you're trying so hard to be." She added.

"Because Tatsumaki due to her being a fan of Saitama as well as The House of Evolution's newfound partnership with the association she's going to be around whether you like it or not just as we are, so why not try to get along with her instead of always getting at each others' throats?" She asked.

"Because she's both a monster as well as a stupid bug." Tatsumaki answered "And I will not associate myself with someone like her EVER." She added causing her sister to sigh.

"Fine." Fubuki replied "Then leave." She told her causing her eyes to widen.

"What?!" Tatsumaki questioned utterly shocked by what she just heard.

"If you're not going to for just once in your life make an effort to put aside your petty differences with someone for the sake of getting along and POSSIBLY making a new friend or at the very least ally then you need to just go." Fubuki explained before opening the door and going back inside.

Unable to do anything but stand there and let what had just happened sink in Tatsumaki began to ball her hands into fists out of frustration. As for Fubuki though she didn't seem all too upset by what had just transpired which somewhat surprised Mosquito Girl as she watched the other retake her place beside her at the table.

"Now then let's get back to coming up with a name." She said as she sat upright.

However before Mosquito Girl could respond to her the sudden opening and closing of the door gained their attention and upon looking towards it they found Tatsumaki walking towards them before she too retook her place at the table opposite of Mosquito Girl. Silence then returned to the space for a few seconds after until Tatumaki spoke and what she said surprised them both.

"I...liked the second one..." She admitted whilst looking at the table though in a low voice "It wasn't too stupid..." She added.

Completely dumbfounded by the sudden change in attitude before Fubuki could say anything or even smile at how proud she was of her sibling yet another immensely surprising thing occurred it being Mosquito Girl extending a hand out to Tatsumaki with a smile present on her face.

"Thank you." She said "Truce?" She asked seeming to be the first to extend an olive branch in peace which caused the other to smile as well.

"Yeah sounds good." Tatsumaki agreed before taking the other's hand into her own and shaking it.

And so as the two of them shook hands the first meeting of the Ultimate One Punch Man Fans kicked off with a pleasant start.


	14. Monster & Unknown Beings Name Sheet

**Mosquito Girl = Mutsuko**

 **Carnage Kabuto = Chikara**

 **Armored Gorilla = Atomu**

 **Beast King = Bunji  
**

 **Slugerous = Suguru**

 **Frog Man = Fujio**

 **Ground Dragon = Genjiro**

 **Kamakyuri = Unchanged**

 **Kombu Infinity=Kaemon**


	15. Punch Thirteen

In life when something becomes such a frequent occurrence we never think to ourselves how much it means to us, the likes of what I mean include the sounds of birds chirping, warmth of the sun's rays on our skin, and even something as simple as the slow consumption of a cooled beverage. Though there are those in life who have such commonplace pleasantries be taken from them whether it be due to their careers or perhaps a change in their lives though in Saitama's instance it was both plus some. Which is exactly why after he took what was supposed to be a regular exam given by the association though it quickly turned into a blown up fiasco he returned back to his abode and proceeded to sleep for the rest of the day. However while he was left in peace by both his fans, friends, and fellow heroes due to the stunned state they had all been put in from witnessing his strongest punch the event had also been televised meaning any person with a television had also seen it.

Which is one of the few luxuries the inmates of the specially designed prison built by Metal Knight himself had, allowing them even from their isolated locale to view the spectacle.

"Holy shit..." One B class criminal muttered as he stared towards the television which hung high above the prison's mess hall.

"Did...did he just...disintegrate that machine?..." Another B class criminal asked only to receive a berating response to his question.

"What are you stupid?! if it were disintegrated there'd be ash! but there's not even that! it's like he just made it disappear completely!" An inmate right beside him said though he was in fact an A class criminal.

Yet even as the run of the mill crooks and criminals began to talk among each other those who were deserving of their status as actual villains watched on from afar and while they were not by any means unaffected by what they had just witnessed the cogs in their minds did begin to turn.

"Incredible...simply incredible..." Fukegao eldest brother of the brain and brawn brothers muttered to himself as he sat atop his brother's shoulder "To think he obtained so much strength through simple training and nothing more..." He continued completely amazed by what he had seen.

"How come I never got that strong?" Marugori youngest brother of the brain and brawn brothers asked aloud "I trained my whole life to be the strongest man and yet even with biceps king I still am nowhere near that powerful." He added.

"What's most puzzling is that he is human." Vaccine Man noted as he closed his eyes "Though there are humans that possess unheard of powers none of which are that equal or in his case surpassing of what most would consider godlike status." He explained.

"Yes that is true!" Fukegao exclaimed as he moved his gaze to the other "No other human throughout history has ever become what One Punch Man has! which brings forth the question as to what he did to reach his current level of power!" He stated.

"It's not like there's any point to thinking on it." Marugori admitted as he looked to his brother "Even if we knew how he became what he is there's no guarantee we could get there ourselves." He argued.

"Vaccine man!" Fukegao called causing the other to look at him "You're the apostle for nature itself! you sure must know something!" He reasoned.

"I am an apostle for the world itself not it's creatures so I know nothing of them." Vaccine Man clarified.

"But if the world made you to kill all human life surely it gave you some insight to them!" Fukegao argued.

"Yes I know all there is to know about regular humans." Vaccine man admitted before he looked back to the television "But he is not a human, even if he looks like one and even has the same components which make a human being what it is, no human as you said has ever become what he is." He explained before looking back to the other "So the true question we need to be asking ourselves is not how he became so strong but how is it he alone in all of the world's history has been the only one to become this strong." He concluded.

And it was with that final statement that Fukegao and Marugori with new thoughts swirling in their minds looked back towards the television as neither they nor anyone else could possibly know the answer to that question.

* * *

"Saitama!" Genos called as he stood outside the other's door.

After the events of yesterday everyone without needing to think about it in the slightest went back from whence they came needing to not only recovered from their shock and temporary lack of hearing but also to think on what they'd just seen. For yes while it has been established they were all stunned, amazed, and so on by the display Saitama had put on before them the thing was they'd never truly had a place to put him in the way of comparison. What I mean is dear reader is that while they knew very well Saitama was strong given he could in fact end any fight with a single punch they didn't think of him as something along the lines of a god or even something close to that. But after yesterday as any and all data that they had hoped to gain from the experience was nonexistent due to the fact their machines couldn't keep up with what Saitama was doing in each trial everyone now knew exactly what their hero was which as simply as could be put a god trapped inside of a man's body.

Which as you could figure out had most people on the following day stay within their abodes and contemplate as to what they should think about this newfound revelation but thankfully Genos along with a select few others were not most people causing him specifically to return to Saitama's apartment in hopes of speaking with him.

 _"Perhaps he's not home?"_ Genos wondered as he had been standing in front of the door for a few minutes and still there was not even a sound to be heard from inside to confirm the other was there.

But as it turns out the reason for the delay in response was that Saitama had been sleeping as suddenly multiple loud bangs and crashes were heard telling Genos that he was either getting out of bed haphazardly or he was being attack by some kind of monster...he chose to believe the first one.

"Hey!" Saitama greeted as he opened the door and poked his head out "Sorry for the wait I've kinda been asleep since yesterday." He admitted.

"Did the exam leave you that exhausted?" Genos asked a bit of surprise present in his question.

"No nothing like that I just dedicated the rest of my day to me is all and pretty much passed out." Saitama answered with a shrug "So what's up?" He asked semi eager to know why the other stopped by.

"I wanted to know something." Genos answered "And I want you to be honest with me." He added.

"Um okay." Saitama replied as he was unsure as to what the other could possibly want to know.

"Did you really become as strong as you are by simple strength training and nothing more?" Genos asked.

Feeling a bit of relief wash over him as he was worried he was about to be blindsided by a weird or awkward question Saitama simply nodded his head before speaking.

"To be honest with you Genos you aren't the first person to ask that question." He said "I've had reporters, fans, and even other heroes constantly ask me if I have a secret trick or some kind of ancient knowledge which helped me become this strong." He admitted "But like I told them that's really all I did, I wish I could give you and them a better answer but I can't." He stated.

Going silent for a moment or so as to let his words sink in before Genos had a chance to respond another series of loud noises was suddenly heard though this time instead of coming from Saitama's apartment it came from the one next door.

"I didn't know you had neighbors." Genos said as he looked to other door not noticing the look of dread now present on the other's face.

"I don't..." Saitama said as he stepped out of his apartment "But I do have crazy fans that like to try and setup some kind of weird fan cave right next to my apartment." He explained before walking over to the door and knocking.

However the very moment his fist made contact with the door and the sound echoed into the air both inside and out of the apartment the noises from within came to a stop causing his feeling of dread to worsen.

 _"Yup definitely a crazed fan...or FANS..."_ He mentally sighed as he brought his hand back to his side "Alright whoever's in there come on out." He instructed.

Only planning to wait a minute or two before punching the door to smithereens and forcing whoever was inside to leave it would thankfully not come to that as the door soon opened and revealed those who were behind the noise.

"..." Both he and Genos remained silent as the sight of Fubuki, Tatsumaki, and Mosquito Girl all with bedhead and in regards the sisters specifically ruffled clothes indicating that they much like Saitama had just woken up entered their vision.

"...Hey...Saitama..." They all greeted in unison though their voices were slightly shaken and their pitch low showing that they found this situation to be awkward.

Silent he still remained as he was trying to process what was happening before him which only took a few seconds of course as he began to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"...Guys..." He spoke closing his eyes as he did "Do you remember the conversation we had yesterday?..." He asked.

"We had a conversation?" Mosquito Girl asked.

"I meant Fubuki and Tatsumaki..." He specified.

"Which one?" Tatsumaki asked though she already had a pretty good idea as to which one he meant.

"The one about how even though you guys are fans of me you never do weird, crazy, or stupid stuff..." He answered.

"...I...vaguely recall it..." Fubuki replied trying to make themselves appear as innocent as possible.

"Then WHY are you guys inside of an apartment right next to mine?" He asked "Let alone in the same BUILDING as mine?" He added.

"..." The sisters both remained silent as they were desperately trying to come up with an excuse.

But luckily before they dug themselves a deeper hole with some lame brained excuse Mosquito Girl stepped out of the apartment and in front of Saitama placing a hand on her chest as she did.

"It's my fault Saitama." She confessed "I came by yesterday to see you and tell you how amazing you were but before I could they showed up and shoved me into this apartment to talk some sense into me." She explained "But because we did a lot more arguing than talking it got really late and we were all tired so we just fell asleep here which is why they're wearing their clothes from yesterday." She added.

Silence came over the air as it had been doing quite frequently up to this point as Saitama seemed to be debating whether or not he should believe her confession. But as we know Saitama while not being an idiot by any means wasn't really one to question anything so after a few more seconds a small smile appeared on his face.

"That makes sense." He decided though EVERYONE Genos included knew very well it didn't "Thanks then you two for keeping her from going all fangirl on me." He said as he looked to the sisters.

"Oh um it was nothing!" They both assured still somewhat stunned by Mosquito Girl's action.

"And as for you." He began as he returned his focus to Mosquito Girl.

"Yes?" She inquired admittedly a bit nervous at what he was going to say.

"Thanks for finally calling me Saitama." He told her as he rubbed the back of his head "Even though I don't hate the name One Punch Man, when you've got people screaming it everyday hearing your actual name be said becomes like a treat or something." He admitted.

Surprised that he wasn't mad or at the very least annoyed at her fake reasons for having been there Mosquito Girl felt a smile come to her face as well.

"You're welcome Saitama." She replied "Though if I'm going to call you by your name could you call me by my name too?" She asked causing his eyes to widen.

"You have a name?" He asked.

"Yeah we gave her one last night." Tatsumaki answered for her gaining his attention "We figured it was going to get annoying just calling her Mosquito Girl all the time." She explained.

"Oh." He sounded before looking to Mosquito Girl "So what is it then?" He asked.

"Mutsuko." She answered.

"Huh." He sounded as he looked her over "That's...actually a pretty fitting name for you." He admitted causing her smile to become a grin.

"Thank you so much!" She exclaimed overjoyed.

"Excuse me." Genos spoke gaining their attentions "I do not mean to interrupt but perhaps we should continue talking inside?" He suggested as he pointed towards the street below "It seems as though a crowd is beginning to form." He pointed out.

Looking past the floor's railing the others did in fact see news vans as well as groups of people beginning to take their place around the building.

"Let's go." Saitama said not even needing to think on it for a moment.

And so with a fairly interesting beginning to the day having been said and done the group followed Saitama back into his abode as to avoid the swarm of fans and reporters.


	16. Filler Punch Two

What kind of person do you think jogs every single morning? Perhaps a fitness freak, or an athlete in training, or maybe even a person seeking employment in law enforcement. Yet every so often as people who are on their way to work or some other endeavor they have planned look to the sidewalks and dirt paved routes they come across a truly rare sight. It being of course a hero in training.

"Good morning King!" An elderly woman called with a gentle smile and a light wave.

"Good morning miss Ariyama!" He replied waving back to her with a smile of his own.

Now one might think to themselves should they not be from the area that this attitude towards King was odd given he is known as Saitama's sidekick. But the truth is while miss Ariyama along with the other shop owners nearby did know who King was he was more to them than just a big shot hero. For you see besides doing basic strength training the very same Saitama did another thing his bald headed friend told him to do to better himself as a hero was to do as much good as he was able. In short Saitama wanted King to start from the bottom like a C class hero, that way he could properly build himself up to what S class heroes deal with.

Which as you could imagine led him to do things like helping people cross the street, finding lost pets, and even helping someone like miss Ariyama put away stock for her shop. Now at first everyone was a bit surprised that an S class hero like King would do such things but as he continued to do them they got to know him and they realized that he was more than just a stoic expression he was also a kind person. So now every morning when he goes out for a ten kilometer jog in his bright red jogging suit (courtesy of Saitama) he is met with a sea of smiling faces and greetings. Sadly though it it's stated in Murphy's law that everything that can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible moment which our beloved King is soon to discover.

 _"Man it sure is hot today..."_ He thought as he dragged his sleeve across his forehead _"Kinda weird since spring just started and all, but eh whatever I'll just stop by mister Fukumoto's store and get a water."_ He decided.

Continuing on his normal jogging route King besides returning the smiles and waves he received encountered nothing of interest or trouble as he soon arrived at his destination. However as he approached the small but homely convenience store he heard a series of loud noises coming from within.

 _"What's going on?"_ He wondered as he looked inside through the window.

Unfortunately for King he found himself pulling his head away and pressing his back against the wall next to the window as what he saw caused him to reel back in fear.

 _"OH MY GOD THERE'S A GUY WITH A GUN!"_ He mentally cried as his heart began to beat rapidly.

"HURRY UP OLD TIMER I AIN'T GOT ALL DAY!" The voice of the robber shouted from inside followed by the loud cocking of a shotgun.

"I-I'm going as fast as I can!" The voice of mister Fukumoto replied though shaken and timid.

Upon hearing his voice King slowly looked back into the store only to see a terrified mister Fukumoto doing his best to open his safe which was behind the counter all the while the robber had his gun pointed at him.

"WELL YOU BETTER GO FASTER CAUSE I'M ABOUT TWO SECONDS AWAY FROM BLOWING YOUR HEAD OFF!" The robber shouted clearly growing impatient.

 _"OHGODOHGODOHGODOHGOD!"_ King mentally screamed as he clutched his chest _"What do I do?! I can't just stand here and do nothing! and I can't call the cops because I don't have my cell!"_ He panicked as he tightened his grip on his suit _"B-But he has a gun! and if I screw up he'll shoot me!"_ He thought.

It was then in that exact moment that King was given the instance of clarity that all of us go through at some point in our lives. Such as with Saitama who decided to keep walking that faithful day yet when Crablante attacked the boy his body moved on it's own. For you see dear reader it is in these moments when one's true nature whether it be known or hidden is revealed and without so much as a precautionary thought they act. Which is exactly what King did after these words reached his ears.

"S-Someone please help me..." Mister Fukumoto begged seeming to be holding back tears.

And that's when everything became a blur for King the very second that the world disappeared and the only thing that mattered was protecting that kind old man. Yet even as he ran into the store gaining both of their attentions King said nothing not even some form of command to drop the weapon instead he let his actions speak for him as he tackled the robber to the ground. Now normally there would be a struggle or perhaps the gun would go off but as they both fell to the ground the robber saw the face of his attacker causing him to go pale.

"OH SHIT IT'S KING!" He shouted as he was quickly pinned to the ground the other now sitting on top of him.

" *HUFF* *HUFF* " King heavily breathed as both the tackle and his rapidly beating heart had winded him a fair deal.

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I'M SORRY! THE GUN'S NOT EVEN LOADED!" The robber cried tears beginning to form in his eyes.

Still unable to speak as he was desperately trying to catch his breath King simply stayed where he was staring down at the other his gaze so intense it made the other after a few more seconds pass out from fear. Meanwhile as this all had gone down mister Fukumoto had gone for his phone, called the police, and after that was done hurried around the counter to check on King.

"King are you alright?" He asked as the other's heavy breathing had him concerned.

Thankfully while his breathing was still erratic King had regained himself enough to be able to speak.

"Yeah...I'm fine mister Fukumoto..." He assured before looking to the other "How are you though?...did he hurt you?..." He asked causing a bright shining grin to come to the other's face.

"Not at all thanks to you!" He exclaimed as he patted King on the back "You're a real hero!" He praised causing King to smile.

"Yeah...guess I am..." He said before closing his eyes as to focus better on getting his breathing back to normal.

And so as both men waited for the police to arrive King felt both pride and joy come over him but not just because he saved his friend but for another reason too.

 _"Finally...I'm becoming stronger...now Saitaima won't need to save me as much..."_ He thought his smile becoming a tad bit bigger.


	17. Punch Fourteen

"ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!" The fans outside screamed and cheered though SOMEHOW seeming to be louder and more energetic than usual, which could easily be associated with the events of yesterday.

After having retreated to Saitama's abode the group simply sat around the table and started a conversation. Or at least that was the plan but before they could get into it the horde of people outside which was still growing mind you began to cheer their usual chant which while annoying Saitama per the norm also began to take it's toll on the others even Genos.

"How can you stand that?!" Tatsumaki asked as her annoyance very swiftly evolved into rage.

"It's like bad weather." Saitama answered with a shrug "At first it's annoying but as it keeps happening you just learn to deal with it." He explained.

"Don't they know this is harassment?" Genos asked.

"Do you think they care?" Saitama returned with his own question.

"How come you've never told them to stop before Saitama?" Fubuki asked "I'm sure they would listen." She added.

"Oh they definitely would." He assured her "But the last time I told someone to do something it was blown WAY out of proportion." He explained.

"How so?" She asked.

"Hmm..." He hummed trying to pick but one example out of the countless he could remember "One time when I was shopping I asked a stock boy where I could find this marked down product they had advertised but when I did he got all pale faced and scared before running away." He began.

"Why'd he do that?" Mutsuko asked.

"I'm getting to that." He replied before continuing "So I was just kinda standing there for a few seconds trying to figure out what just happened but in an instant the store's manager had run up to me and began apologizing that the item had quickly been sold out earlier meaning they had none left." He explained.

"Wow that does sound annoying." Tatsumaki commented.

"I'm not done." He told her before resuming "Of course the moment the guy started apologizing to me at light speed I tried to calm him down by saying it was no big deal that I didn't really NEED the item I was just hoping to get it since it was on sale, but he didn't seem to hear me or maybe he just didn't care because after I said that he ran away only to come back with a cart filled with all sorts of different items saying that he'd be honored to give all of that to me for free." He finished leaning back on his hands as he did.

"Wow." Fubuki said as she crossed her arms "That's...incredibly stupid." She admitted earning a nod in agreement from the others.

"Yeah why'd he make such a big deal out of it?" Tatsumaki asked.

"Because I'm me." Saitama simply answered "And the first thing people think about whenever I'm upset or I just don't get what I was hoping to is that I'll hurt them and given my strength that would pretty much mean death." He explained.

"But they should know you'd never hurt them right?" Mutsuko asked.

"You'd think." He replied "But I guess when you're as strong as me it doesn't really matter if you're a hero, villain, or monster everyone's always gonna be a little scared of you even if they cheer your name they'll still fear you." He explained.

Silence filled the air as everyone thought on that response for while it did make sense it at the same time didn't apply to them which they found odd. It was true that with Saitama's strength even if he wasn't a hero but something as harmless as a farmer or even a florist people would still be afraid of him. And maybe just maybe this was why he was loved so much not just because he was a hero and saved lives but also because people thought that if he ever felt like he was underappreciated or even just ignored that he'd use his strength against them. But then there was this lot King included who didn't feel fear even after seeing his strongest punch yesterday they still didn't have an ounce of fear to be found.

Perhaps the reason for this though was they actually KNEW Saitama, he wasn't just a hero on a poster or an action figure in a store he was a person that had hobbies, interests, and a personality. Yet how would anyone really know that, as the only things people ever seemed to care about in regards to him was solely his strength, even in all of the interviews he's done they never once asked him anything about his life or himself, they only seemed to show interest in his hero work and nothing more.

"...Saitama." Tatsumaki spoke being the first to break the silence.

"Yeah?" He responded.

"You said that we're your friends, yet we don't really know anything about you." She said "So would you mind telling us some things about yourself?" She asked.

Upon that question being asked it seemed as though everyone's eyes immediately fixated themselves on him however before he could give a response the sound of his and Tatsumaki's phones ringing filled the air causing them to take them out and look at them.

"It's from the association." They said in unison before proceeding to answer the call "Hello?" They answered once again in unison.

Letting whoever was on each end speak to them Genos, Fubuki, and Mutsuko exchanged a quick glance to one another wondering what was going on.

"Uh huh...uh huh...okay...bye." They said in unison for the third time in a row before hanging up.

"What was that about?" Fubuki asked unsure as to why the association would be calling them both.

"Apparently there's a meteor heading straight for City Z." Tatsumaki answered in a nonchalant tone ending their unison streak as she did.

"Wait what?!" Both she and Mutsuko asked with widened eyes though Genos seemed to be unaffected.

"Yeah it suddenly changed course and now it's coming here." Saitama explained with a shrug.

"And the association called you to deal with it?" Genos asked receiving a nod in response.

"Yup." Saitama simply answered.

"Then shouldn't you two be going to try and stop it?" Mutsuko asked

"Eh we could." Tatsumaki replied as she looked to the ceiling "But it's just a giant rock I'm sure someone else can deal with it." She added.

"But if they called you that means only S class heroes can handle it so you have to go!" Fubuki argued.

"The way I see it." Saitama began as to get their attention "Metal Knight's probably gonna test a weapon or something on it so we should be fine." He reasoned.

"Yeah but he's always just blowing stuff up he might somehow screw it up." Tatsumaki chimed in.

"Wait." He said before looking to her "Now you suddenly want to go?" He asked.

"No, but it's like I said all Metal Knight ever does is blow things up he might actually do more harm than good, given how much firepower he'd need to destroy the meteor." She explained.

Taking a moment to think on that Saitama found himself agreeing with that argument as there wasn't a single time he could recall where Metal Knight hadn't just gone all out and decimated everything in sight.

"Yeah you're right." He agreed "I guess that means we should go then?" He suggested.

"Eh we'll watch from the ground." She said before rising to her feet "And if he screws it up THEN we'll step in." She added.

"Alright." He agreed as he too rose from his seat "Let me get changed and then we'll leave." He told her before picking his costume up from the floor and going to the bathroom.

Once he was inside and the door was closed shut Tatsumaki looked to the others who returned her gaze with their own.

"You guys wanna come?" She asked causing Mutsuko and Fubuki's eyes to widen but just as before Genos seemed to be unaffected.

"You want us to come?" Her sister asked causing her to make an annoyed face in response.

"Yes that's why I just ASKED you." Tatsumaki answered.

"But won't we get in the way?" Mutsuko asked.

"Do you PLAN to get in our way?" Tatsumaki asked in return.

"No." Both women answered.

"Then we have no issue." Tatsumaki assured them before looking to Genos "How bout you?" She asked.

"If it really is no issue." He replied "I need to try and witness every display of strength Saitama shows so I can gain more precise measurements of his abilities." He explained.

Just then the sound of the bathroom's door sliding open was heard and as they looked towards the cause they of course found Saitama now fully dressed in his costume.

"Alright let's go." He said while looking to them pulling on one of his gloves as he did.

* * *

One might think that upon being notified that a massive meteor was hurtling towards the planet that the air would be filled with honking of horns and the screams of the masses. But as Saitama and friends made their way further into the city they noticed that it was surprisingly quiet.

"You'd think it'd be really noisy out here." Saitama commented as he looked around.

"They're probably all jammed up on the outskirts of the city trying to get out." Fubuki suggested.

"Or maybe Metal Knight's already fired his missiles and it killed everyone." Tatsumaki suggested which caused everyone except for Genos to look at her with a bit of a surprised expression.

"That's a little dark don't you think?" Mutsuko asked "And why would he kill any civilians, even if it is by accident?" She added.

"Because he simply doesn't care." Tatsumaki answered with a shrug "Sure he might call himself a hero but that's only so he can blow up and shoot anything he wants to without getting in trouble." She explained.

"She does have a point." Saitama agreed "Even when it's something as simple as a tiger level threat if he has some new invention to test he'll do it regardless if he leaves a crater or not." He explained.

"Shouldn't the association take more action against this then?" Genos asked "If he's doing more harm than good with his actions he should be punished or demoted." He added.

"Yeah but the association's run by a bunch of idiots, excluding Agoni of course." Tatsumaki answered "But since he's busy with all sorts of junk like law enforcement agencies and politics he doesn't really have any time to deal with decisions regarding heroes even S class." She explained.

However before their conversation could continue the sound of an explosion which could only be compared to a nuclear detonation reached their ears followed by the sounds of breaking glass and even breaking concrete. Looking towards the origin of the sound which was the sky above they saw a massive black cloud of smoke with a touch of red here and there filling the air with only but a few dissipating trails of smoke leading to it as an explanation.

"Whoa..." Fubuki and Mutsuko said in unison as they stared in awe at the sight above.

"From the sheer size of the smoke cloud it is safe to assume the detonation consisted of several nuclear devices." Genos stated as he was busy scanning it for information.

"Yup that sounds about right." Both Saitama and Tatsumaki said in unison.

Unfortunately though after a few seconds went by the smoke was cleared by the meteor which was no doubt the target.

"Aaaaaand he screwed up." Tatsumaki said with a scoff "How predictable." She added.

"Whelp guess I'll have to deal with it then." Saitama said as he continued walking "And here I was hoping to just go back home." He added.

"What should we do?" Mutusko asked as they began to follow.

"I'm pretty sure I can just punch that thing and that'll be it." He replied.

"But what if it breaks apart?" Genos asked "Will you be able to deal with the pieces that separate?" He added.

"That's why I'M here." Tatsumaki answered "Should the meteor not be completely obliterated by Saitama I'll just catch whatever's left." She explained.

"Are you sure you'll be able to get it all Tatsumaki?" Fubuki asked which seemed to set her sister off.

"OF COURSE I WILL!" She shouted before pointing to her sibling "DO YOU THINK SOME STUPID ROCK IS TOO MUCH FOR ME?!" She questioned which caused her sister to sigh.

"No of course not Tatsumaki." Fubuki answered immediately regretting her question "It's just that you don't know how many pieces are going to split off so you might not get them all." She explained.

"I'LL GET THEM ALL JUST YOU WAIT AND SEE!" Tatsumaki shouted before looking to Saitama "COME ON SAITAMA LET'S HURRY UP AND-" She began to say before stopping mid sentence.

For you see although it took her a moment due to her angered state she noticed that where Saitama was supposed to be he wasn't.

"What the, where'd he go?!" She asked not looking to the others for an answer.

"Um...we...honestly don't know..." Mutsuko answered for the group though reluctantly as she knew the answer would no doubt anger her again.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!" Tatsumaki questioned angrily as Mutsuko predicted.

"It seemed like he saw someone." Genos answered as he pointed to a building down the street "He was looking at the meteor but then his gaze shifted and in an instant he vanished." He explained.

"WELL LET'S GO AFTER HIM THEN!" She ordered as she lifted Genos into the air with her ESP "LEAD THE WAY BLONDIE!" She added.

 _"Blondie?"_ He wondered as the nickname was highly unoriginal.

* * *

"So you're the only other one to show up huh Bang?" Saitama asked earning a nod in response from the other.

"It seems that way, though to be fair Metal Knight never really shows up he just sends one of his machines." Bang answered.

"Yeah that's true." Saitama agreed as he brought a hand to his chin "Come to think of it I don't think I've ever even seen him in person." He admitted.

"No one has." Bang replied "Metal Knight keeps to himself, even more so than Zombieman, Drive Knight, or even you for that matter." He continued before shifting his gaze to the meteor which was still coming towards the planet "By the way Saitama you are planning on punching the meteor right? because I don't think there's too much that I can do." He asked.

"I'm just waiting for my friends to get here." Saitama answered as he too looked towards the massive object "But it is getting pretty close...I'll give them a few more seconds THEN I'll punch it." He decided.

Thankfully he wouldn't need to wait long as without warning the roof's access door was sent flying from it's frame and as both men looked to said frame to find the cause they found none other than Mutsuko standing where it once did with the others behind her.

"We could've just opened it." Fubuki told her unsure as to why she needed to send the door across the roof.

"Yeah but that was way more fun." Mutsuko replied with a shrug of her shoulders causing the other to sigh.

"Hey guys." Saitama greeted but was unable to say more as Tatsumaki was suddenly in his face.

"WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO JUST RUN OFF LIKE THAT?! She asked with her hands on her hips.

"I saw Bang standing up here and I wanted to say hi." Saitama answered which only seemed to anger her more.

"SERIOUSLY?!" She asked ready to give him an earful.

"Excuse me." Bang spoke causing her to move her enraged stare onto him.

"WHAT?!" She replied.

Choosing not to respond with words Bang simply pointed to the sky which caused everyone to look up and see the meteor nearly upon them.

"I think we have more pressing matters to attend to." He said as he to now looked to the sky.

"Sounds good to me." Saitama replied before jumping into the air.

Though to call what Saitama did jumping wasn't really accurate, more so it was like a rocket meant for space had taken off as the moment he left the roof the force and power behind the jump nearly shattered the roof. Watching on with wide eyed expressions at how fast and high he was going they saw him begin to rear back his fist as he and the meteor got closer.

"You are not..." He began to say as he tightened his fist "Gonna fall..." He continued as the muscles in his arm flexed "ON MY TOWN!" He shouted as but mere inches away from the flaming rock he threw his fist forward making contact with it.

Yet instead of shattering it immediately as everyone was expecting their eyes were widened even more and there mouths now hung open as what transpired they couldn't believe. While the actual speed of the meteor none of them could have know except for Genos if he so desired the fact remains it was traveling at very high speeds yet with a single jump and punch Saitama went straight through showing that the speed in which he was going was far greater. Sadly they didn't have long to revel in this astounding sight as the moment their friend had broken through the meteor a blue light seemed to shine from within just before it shattered lighting up the sky as it did. Unfortunately while this moment was one to behold both due to what led up to it and the simple beauty of the light everyone noticed that while the meteor itself had been destroyed several pieces had been sent flying in all directions threatening to still destroy the city.

 _"Tsk if only Metal Knight saved those stupid missiles of his..."_ Tatsumaki thought as she closed her eyes a sigh escaping her as she did "But luckily I'm here." She said to herself as she began to use her powers.

Before they could even get close to any of the buildings including the tall office buildings nearby all of the pieces suddenly had a green aura encase them which caused them to stop in mid air.

"Nice work Tornado." Bang complimented earning a small scoff from her in response.

"This isn't even something I'd consider child's play." She replied before looking over her shoulder "Hey, you guys wanna destroy them?" She asked causing Mutsuko and Fubuki but of course not Genos to look at her surprised.

"Wait really?" Fubuki asked earning a nod from her sister.

"Like I said this isn't even something I'd care enough to deal with personally." She explained "Plus you guys didn't really do anything so I figured you might want SOMETHING to do." She added.

Not seeming to need a moment or so to think upon it Mutsuko, Genos, and Fubuki all in their own way began to destroy the floating pieces. Though as Bang and Tatsumaki watched on and waited for the task to be complete neither they nor the trio once wondered what became of Saitama after he destroyed the meteor. Which in all fairness wouldn't have been the most mind boggling of questions as the moment Saitama landed on the ground he took a moment to make sure his clothes hadn't been damaged before proceeding to walk away and head back home. And so as Genos continues to disintegrate the pieces with his flames, Mustsuko sliced them to pieces, Fubuki using her own ESP broke them apart into pebbles, and Tatsumaki ensuring that the pieces would stay in place the citizens of City Z had not only Saitama to thank for saving the day but them as well.

Which in no way, shape, or form could POSSIBLY come back to bite them on the butt later...right?


	18. Punch Fifteen

_"Wonder what's taking them so long?..."_ Saitama wondered as he turned the page of his manga.

After having destroyed the meteor and returning to his abode Saitama as anyone could've guessed picked up a manga before promptly plopping himself on the floor and proceeding to read it. However this had occurred a half hour ago which while not significant in itself made the lack of his companions feel more unusual.

 _"Maybe they decided to get a bite to eat?..."_ He continued to ponder as he read.

Luckily for our hero the universe seemed to be listening to his thoughts as the sound of his door opening reached his ears.

"There you guys are." He said as he put the manga down "What took you?" He asked as he turned to look at them.

Unfortunately for Saitama while the person who had entered his abode was a friend it was only King and no one else.

"Oh it's you King." He corrected as the other approached.

"Sorry, were you expecting someone else?" He asked.

"Eh just the others." Saitama answered "We all went to stop this big meteor from destroying the city but that was a half hour ago and they're still not back yet." He explained.

"Ah." King sounded as he sat down now understanding the situation.

However before their conversation continued now that King was sitting across from him Saitama noticed that he was wearing the red jogging suit he gave him which surprised him given it was nearing the afternoon and King only jogged in the morning.

"Why're you wearing your jogging suit? did you not have anything else to wear?" He asked.

"No I just haven't gone back home yet since I kinda sorta stopped an armed robbery." King answered causing the other's eyes to widen.

"Wait what?!" Saitama asked completely shocked though not because he thought King was incapable of doing something like that but merely because he didn't think he was ready yet.

"I was on my morning jog and everything was normal but as I continued I noticed it was pretty hot today so I decided to stop by a convenience store I always stop by to get a drink, but when I was approaching it I heard a bunch of loud noises and when I looked in I saw the owner who I knew personally trying to open his safe while a guy pointed a shotgun at him." King explained.

"Then what happened?!" Saitama asked with such interest that if he were in a seat he'd be on the edge of it.

"Well as usual my whole body started to shake and my heart started beating." King began as he looked down at his hand "But as I stood there frozen with fear I heard just barely mister Fukumoto ask for help and then suddenly without even thinking I ran into the store and tackled the robber." He explained.

Letting silence come between them as the words sank in with Saitama he couldn't keep a smile possibly the biggest King had ever seen from appearing on his face.

"That's like when I saved Agoni's grandson from Crablante." He said as he crossed his arms "Without even thinking I just acted and while in that moment I wasn't sure why I did it after beating Crablante I knew it was because I wanted to be a hero and save people." He explained "Needless to say King the same thing happened to you and in all honesty I'm proud of you." He complimented.

"Wow..." King simply replied utterly speechless.

"...Shit I made it weird didn't I?" Saitama asked as he feared his compliment was bit too awkward.

"No it's just...to think I actually made someone who's done as much as you proud...dunno...just feels good." King answered causing the other to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Okay good." Saitama replied.

However before their conversation could continue the sound of the door opening reached their ears and upon looking to see who was coming in they found none other than Tatsuamki, Fubuki, Matsuko, and Genos all walking towards them.

"There you guys are." He said as they reached him "What kept you?" He asked.

"Fans...so...many...fans..." Mutsuko groaned before letting her face hit the table.

"Ah." He sounded not needing an explanation.

"IT WAS LIKE A SCHOOL OF PIRANHA!" Tatsumaki shouted as she sat down on the floor "One minute we're on our way back everything's normal, then without any kind of warning we're swarmed by a sea of people who were either screaming for our autographs, taking our pictures, or begging us if we could introduce them to you." She explained.

"Yep sounds about right." He admitted as he rested his head in his palm.

"I've had people come up to me before but never like that..." Fubuki chimed in as she sat down next to her sister "It was like we were some kind of exhibit or something." She added.

"Mhm." He sounded as he began to just barely listen.

"I've never been treated in such a way before." Genos admitted "And even though it was annoying it also was somewhat nice to receive so much appreciation." He added as he too sat down.

"ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!" The sudden roaring of fans came from outside causing Saitama to sigh.

"Looks like they're back already." He noted.

"They most likely followed us here as we tried to lose them, apologies." Genos replied earning a wave of the hand in response.

"It's not your guys' fault they were gonna come eventually." He assured.

"WELL I'M SICK AND TIRED OF IT!" Tatsumaki shouted as she got to her feet "I'M GOING TO TELL THEM TO SCRAM!" She decided as she headed for the door.

"They're not going to listen to you." He told her.

"THEN I'LL PICK THEM ALL UP AND MOVE THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE!" She replied as she opened the door.

Upon opening the door Tatsumaki instead of going outside and expressing her irritation to the people below was stopped in her tracks as a familiar face stood before her.

"Hello Tornado." Sweet Mask greeted with a small smile on his face.

"Sweet Mask?" She asked surprised "What are you doing here?" She added her look of surprise now being replaced by her usual displeased look.

"I'm here to speak to Saitama, he's home right?" He asked.

"I'm in here!" Saitama called somehow having heard him from the living room.

With his question having been answered Sweet Mask without a word more to Tatsumaki walked past her and into the apartment leaving her to close the door behind him, which as you can imagine only worsened her displeased expression.

 _"Great..."_ She thought to herself as she shut the door and followed.

"Oh you're all here." Sweet Mask said as he looked to everyone.

"You were looking for all of us?" King asked whilst raising a brow.

"Originally I was just looking for you and Saitama." Sweet Mask answered "But then I heard about the meteor and I then decided all of you should be included as well." He explained.

"Included in what?" Fubuki asked just as her sister retook her spot next to her.

"After Saitama's exam everyone from major TV networks to internet blogs wanted to get him for interviews." He began to answer before Saitama cut him off.

"Oh no I am NOT doing anymore interviews." He told the other as he stood up so they could be face to face "The last interview I did all of the women in the audience threw their panties at me!" He argued.

"That was a mistake on security's part." Sweet Mask countered "But looking past that you are the top ranking hero in S class and are by far the most popular person in the world so you have to maintain a positive public perception." He reasoned.

"I save people all the time how is that not positive enough?" Saitama asked.

"Excuse me." Genos spoke gaining their attention "I fail to see why this would concern the rest of us, since you said you were looking for us as well." He said.

"Oh right." Sweet Mask said before resuming his explanation "After the exam and the flood of interviews I decided that it would be best for Saitama to do one and answer some questions, however earlier today King stopped an armed robbery not too far from his apartment and you all helped Saitama stop the meteor from destroying the city both events now also in the media's spotlight." He explained "So I thought given that King besides being an S class hero himself is also Saitama's sidekick and all of you beyond helping Saitama seem to be friends of his that you should be included in the interview." He finished.

"WE'RE GOING TO BE ON TV?!" Mutsuko asked sitting straight up as she did her fatigue and exhaustion seeming to be gone miraculously.

"The interview will be televised yes." He answered which caused her already excited expression to intensify.

"But me and Mustuko are not heroes." Genos noted.

"Given your assistance with the meteor I have personally made sure that you both are placed into class A." Sweet Mask replied.

"Wow you have that much pull?" King asked simply receiving a nod in response.

"Wait." Fubuki spoke gaining his attention "What about me?" She asked.

"You've been moved to A class as well." Sweet Mask answered causing her to smile.

"Hold on." Saitama spoke gaining EVERYONE'S attentions "I still haven't agreed to DO the interview." He told them as he crossed his arms.

"Oh PLEASE Saitama!" Mutsuko begged "It would be so AMAZING to be on TV!" She added clasping her hands together as she did.

"I do not care what you decide." Genos admitted "Though I do not want you to inconvenience yourself for us." He added.

"I agree." King spoke as he too crossed his arms "You shouldn't do this just for us." He said.

"I'm with Genos I don't care what you do." Tatsumaki said "Though if you do decide to go on you better make sure the fans keep their mouths shut otherwise I can't be held responsible for what happens." She added.

"You should do what you think is best." Fubuki said.

Looking to his friends and briefly to Sweet Mask even though every fiber of his being was screaming at him to just throw Sweet Mask out there was a small part of him telling him to do it. But it wasn't because this small part of him wanted to do the interview for himself it wanted him to show off his friends and what they were capable of. For while yes the whole point of this was to talk about the exam Sweet Mask himself said that King's heroic feat and the meteor also had the media's attention so this would be a good opportunity for them. Yet even if this was the reason he knew deep down that it would more than likely be all about him and they would just be sitting there in silence unable to get a single word in which would not only humiliate them most likely but also piss Tatsumaki off which he KNEW would not end well.

So as he thought about it for a few seconds longer keeping them all in suspense he soon closed his eyes, breathed a sighed, then said.

"Okay, I'll do it."

Upon hearing these words Mutsuko jumped into the air cheering her excitement unable to be contained and while Fubuki wasn't as expressive in her excitement she was admittedly eager to be on television. As for Tatsumaki, King, and Genos while they were by no means excited for this like the two women were they still were happy to see he agreed to it as they knew more than likely he wasn't doing it for himself but for them. However before Mutsuko could continue cheering and before Sweet Mask could show his appreciation for the agreement Saitama held up a hand to silence him.

"On one condition." He said causing Mutsuko to stop "We all take turns answering questions not just about the meteor, the robbery, and the exam but also about them, I do not want to be the only one getting attention while they sit there next to me in complete silence." He said.

"Of course." Sweet Mask agreed immediately not needing to consider it "I'll personally ensure the questions besides being plentiful are also tailored to all of you." He swore as he headed towards the door.

"And make sure no one calls Mutsuko a monster either." Saitama told him earning a nod in response.

And so as Sweet Mask left the apartment to setup the interview everyone while again not being as expressive as Mutsuko were happy that Saitama wanted them to receive the same amount of praise and attention that he would be getting.


	19. Filler Punch Three

"Why do we gotta do this again?" Carnage Kabuto groaned as he walked.

"Mosquit-, I mean Mutsuko became a hero so now we have to." Beast King replied.

"Yeah I know THAT." Carnage Kabuto said "What I'm asking though is why WE have to become heroes because of that." He explained.

"Because the doctor believes this will not only better our partnership with the association but also show the world what The House of Evolution is capable of." Armored Gorilla Explained in his robot voice.

"What did we say?" Beast King asked as he cast a glance at the other.

"No robot voice..." Armored Gorilla answered looking down at the ground as he did.

"Then why aren't the others with us?" Carnage Kabuto asked.

"Slugerous, Frog Man, and Ground Dragon aren't fit to be heroes." Beast King answered "And as for Kamakyuri he's already a hero." He added.

"Wait what?!" Carnage Kabuto asked with widened eyes "Since when?!" He added.

"Right after One Punch Man's exam." Armored Gorilla answered "He was really inspired by his performance and he asked the doctor if he could become a hero, after we all got our hearing back of course." He explained.

"If I remember correctly his ranking is B class, though I don't know the number..." Beast King said as he put a finger to his chin trying to remember.

"Heh well I guess that makes sense at least." Carnage Kabuto replied with a scoff "That guy's nowhere NEAR our strength we'll pass him no problem." He assured.

"We're here." Armored Gorilla said causing them to stop.

Looking up at the building before them the trio while not intimidated had to give credit where it was due as this branch of the association was both tall and big.

"Huh not bad..." Carnage Kabuto complimented before looking ahead "Alright let's get this over with." He said as he headed for the doors.

Following their companion the trio would soon find themselves stopping once more as they encountered a problem, which admittedly they should have already thought of but it hadn't occurred to them until this exact moment.

"Um..." Beast King sounded before pointing towards the doors "How're we supposed to get in?" He asked.

While the doors to the building were by no means superbly small they were of course meant for humans and while Armored Gorilla could possibly fit through them unfortunately there was no way the other two would be able.

"Excuse me!" A female voice called coming from their left.

Looking to their lefts as to see who was calling them the trio found a woman standing at five foot five inches dressed in association attire complete with a headset which rested on top of her brown hair standing a few feet away from them.

"Are you three from The House Of Evolution?" She asked.

"Yes we are." All three answered in unison causing a smile to appear on her face.

"Excellent! we received a call from doctor Genus that you three would be arriving." She explained as she turned around "If you will follow me I will show you inside." She instructed before walking away.

Feeling a bit of relief come over them as their creator was smart enough to call ahead the trio followed the woman around the building where they were soon brought to a very large door which they entered.

"This is the part of the building we use for applicants who might be a bit too large for the regular space." She explained "And beyond this we also have rooms, chairs, and equipment all increased in size and made with stronger material for your specific needs." She continued "However besides calling us ahead and letting us know you'd be coming doctor Genus also gave us copies of your files which contain nearly all the information we need to score your physical tests." She finished.

"What else is there?" Beast King asked.

"Oh you'll still need to take the physical exam, but thanks to the files you'll only need to partake in a few tests which were designed for you." She answered "However since this will only take but a few minutes overall we thought it would be best if we gave you the written exam first then had you take the physical." She explained.

"There's a written exam?" Armored Gorilla asked.

"Yes but I can assure you it's only there for us to gauge your dedication to being a hero, in short based on how you describe the reason you want to be a hero will be how you are scored." She explained.

"Pfft that'll be easy." Carnage Kabuto said with a relaxed cocksure grin.

Continuing to walk a bit further they soon came to a stop outside what seemed to be a classroom door.

"There are three pencils on each desk should they break, two erasers, and there is no set time limit so when you are done simply leave the room and proceed down the hall where I will be waiting for you." She instructed before taking her leave.

Watching her go down the hall until she disappeared around a corner the trio then looked to each other for a brief moment before opening the door and going inside. And just as the woman had described everything including the room had clearly been made with the idea of large occupants in mind. Walking over to the first three desks each of them took a seat before picking up a pencil and taking the test.

* * *

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm~" The woman hummed as she waited for the trio.

Though it had only been a few minutes since she left them to take the written exam the woman while not impatient was very eager for them to be finished due to the fact she had only ever dealt with human candidates before and was excited to see what these three were capable of.

 _"I bet the lion has HUGE claws."_ She thought as she twiddled her thumbs _"And the gorilla's a cyborg, so I wonder if he has any cool gadgets?"_ She wondered _"And as for the beetle he seems really docile, so why did the doctor tell us to have knockout gas ready?..."_ She questioned.

However before she could continue her thoughts the sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears, and upon looking down the hall to see who was coming she found it was the beetle.

"Oh you're finished already?" She asked causing him to adorn another relaxed cocksure grin.

"Like I said it was easy." He told her as he reached her.

"I see." She replied with a smile.

Having silence come between them as either didn't really know how to continue the conversation they simply waited in silence for the others. Which thankfully would be very long as another set of footsteps reached their ears this one belonging to Beast King.

"Hey Beast King!" Carnage Kabuto greeted as the other approached "Glad to see the second strongest person here finish after me! I'd never let it go if Armored Gorilla beat you!" He exclaimed.

"It's not a race Carnage Kabuto." The other replied as he reached them "I just felt I said everything I had to say is all." He stated.

"Wait." The woman spoke gaining their attention "Your names are Carnage Kabuto, Beast King, and Armored Gorilla?" She asked.

"Uh yeah." Carnage Kabuto confirmed "Didn't it say that on those files the doc sent ya?" He asked.

"Well yes but I thought those were just your hero names." She admitted "But those can't serve as your names!" She added.

"Why not?" Beast King asked.

"Because they're not names! they're more like titles or mantles but not names!" She answered "You three need ACTUAL names! so give me a moment..." She told them as she began to think.

Unsure as to how to respond to this sudden development the two exchanged a brief look to each other before she snapped her fingers.

"I got it!" She exclaimed "Your name should be Chikara!" She said pointing to Carnage Kabuto as she did "Yours Bunji!" She said now pointing at Beast King "And Armored Gorilla's should be Atomu!" She finished crossing her arms proudly as she did.

Taking a moment to think on the names she gave them both Carnage Kabuto and Beast King while still a bit surprised at how sudden this all was had to admit that those names did sound fitting for them.

"Yeah...Chikara...I like that!" Carnage Kabuto exclaimed with a satisfied grin.

"And Bunji seems perfect for me." Beast King said a similar expression on his face.

"Then it's settled!" The woman exclaimed as she pointed to them "From this day forward your hero names will be Carnage Kabuto, Beast King, and Armored Gorilla but your REAL names will be Chikara, Bunji, and Atomu!" She proclaimed.

Nodding in agreement to her statement before the two could respond to her vocally they heard footsteps approaching from behind telling them that Atomu had finished.

"Hey Atomu! what took you so long?" Chikara asked as the other approached.

"Wait...what did you call me?" Atomu asked confused.

"Don't worry we'll explain inside." Bunji assured as they looked towards the woman.

"Well it seems as though you're all ready to start the physical exam so let's get to it!" She exclaimed with a bit of excitement as she walked through the twin doors behind her.

"Seriously what did you call me?" Atomu asked as he followed his companions through the door.

* * *

Now normally the physical exam would consist of several different tests to gauge one's physical potential (hence the exam's name) but as it has been made evident thanks to...the woman, due to doctor Genus sending them the trio's files nearly all information regarding their physical capabilities has already been cleared. So really what awaited them behind those two doors was an arena of sorts somewhat similar to the combat testing room back at the facility, where once they were inside they faced off against multiple targets all varying from still, to moving, to "attacking". However per doctor Genus's request Atomu and Bunji were to go before Chikara as he had stated in bold lettering in the file **"CARNAGE MODE IS STILL UNSTABLE"** followed by instructions on what kind of knockout gas to have on standby as well as how much they would need to use.

"Alright." The woman spoke as she looked to Bunji who was just now exiting the arena "Thank you Bunji that was an amazing display." She complimented.

"It was nothing really." He said nonchalantly though admittedly he was flattered by the praise.

"Now the only one left is you Chikara." She said as she looked to him "Please step into the arena." She instructed.

"FINALLY some action!" He exclaimed as he went inside.

Going into the center of the arena as the door shut behind him both Atomu and Bunji began whispering to each other.

"You don't think he's going to go into carnage mode do you?" Atomu asked.

"Nah, he'd have to be either super pissed off or be facing a serious challenge." Bunji answered.

"Oh and Chikara." The woman spoke into a microphone which broad casted her voice across several speakers inside the arena "Doctor Genus told us to tell you that it would be best for your exam score if you used something called carnage mode." She said causing the others eyes to widen.

"WAIT WHAT?!" They both asked in unison all the while Chikara had a big toothy grin appear on his face.

"You SURE about that?" He asked INSANELY eager to go all out.

"Mhm absolutely." She answered "So since it seems like this is some sort of power or transformation I'm just going to send out all of the targets at once is that alright?" She asked.

"Bring it on!" He exclaimed as he got into a stance.

"Okay then here we go." She said as she began the test.

Pressing a few buttons on the console in front of her once this had been done every opening in both the floor and the arena's walls and ceilings opened and from them came all of the test's targets heading straight for him. However instead of attacking or even moving Chikara seemed only to flex his muscles and strain which caused veins all across his body to pulse.

"Chikara?" She asked as what she was seeing concerned her "Are you okay?" She added.

However before she could say more she was suddenly grabbed from behind by Atomu who placed her behind him and Bunji.

"What're you doing?" She asked.

"Trust us miss this is for your own protection." He told her.

Confused by what he meant by that she looked between them back into the arena where in just the few seconds she had taken her eyes off of him Chikara had lost some of his armor plating but had also gotten bigger and seemed to be changing color.

"What's happening?" She asked astonished by what she was seeing.

"During his creation doctor Genus wanted to instill within him a sort of last resort where if something should ever come close to killing him he could use it to save himself." Atomu explained.

"However after he was complete it was discovered that his mental state wasn't stable and he also possessed a lack of morality and so instead of using this as a last resort he turned it into a power up so to say." Bunji continued.

"In truth we all possess something like this but because Chikara was meant to be the culmination of the doctor's finest research it was as stated meant to be nothing more than a second wind healing all wounds and returning all stamina." Atomu continued.

"But after a few sessions within the combat testing room he somehow evolved it to not only increase his natural healing capabilities but also his strength, speed, and durability, but the cost was his intelligence and what little sanity he had." Bunji continued.

"Then why would he want to use it at all?" She asked.

"When we were first created the doctor told us our purpose in life was to replace humanity, WE were meant to be the new and improved race." Atomu answered "Which is why he did it so when he was unleashed onto the world he'd be the ultimate killing machine hence why it's called carnage mode." He concluded.

All the while they had talked while it was no surprise to Bunji or Atomu as the woman looked back to Chikara she was shocked to find him even bigger than before near the size of a building. But that wasn't the only change which shocked her his former brown coloration had been replaced by a purple one and his teeth and horn seemed to have grown as well making them more pointed and sharp.

"Here we go." They said in unison as the other's transformation was complete.

"CARNAGE MODE!" Chikara screamed into the air before disappearing from sight.

Unsure as to what had just happened the woman's already present shock grew as without warning the targets around the space began to explode into countless pieces as if they were being struck by a force of inconceivable power. Yet no matter how hard she tried to find the cause all she could see moving in the space besides the targets was quick flashes of purple.

"DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!" Chikara's voice shouted as more and more targets quickly met the same fate.

"How long does this last?" She asked those being the only words present in her mind.

"So far it seems he becomes so lost in blood lust that he doesn't come out of it for a week." Bunji answered causing her to look to him with widened eyes.

"A WEEK?!" She questioned as any person would.

"Yes, but that is why the doctor if he told you to let him do this he also had some sort of way to get him to stop right?" Atomu asked.

"THE GAS!" She answered before running past them and back to the console.

"WAIT DON'T!" They both shouted as her sudden action caught them by surprise.

But their words unfortunately fell onto deaf ears as the only thing the woman was focused on was calming down Chikara. Yet as she reached the console and began to initiate the gas she fell backwards to the ground as a loud bang occurred right in front of her in the arena.

"YOU THERE! COME HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU! I WANT TO TASTE YOUR BLOOD!" Chikara shouted as he began assaulting the glass.

Unable to move as the sight before her paralyzed her with fear the woman's rapidly beating heart began to try and calm itself as Bunji appeared by her side.

"Hey you okay?" He asked as he helped her up.

Sadly due to both the shock and fear of what just happened she couldn't respond either verbally or even with a simple nod of the head. Thankfully though just as she was somewhat steadied back on her feet the sound of the gas nozzles spraying their contents into the arena caught her ears and upon looking towards the console she found Atomu standing there with his back turned to them.

"There." He spoke as he lowered his hand to his side "That should calm him." He said.

Within but a matter of seconds the entire space of the arena was filled with a bright blue gas and after a few more moments passed a loud thud was heard from inside indicating that Chikara had been knocked out. Still unable to really speak or move on her own the woman watched as Atomu moved from the console to the arena door before proceeding to open it and go inside.

"His robot parts." Bunji spoke as he looked to her "He's got a bunch of stuff built into him some of it helps him filter air so he can't be knocked out or poisoned." He explained.

Having that question be answered though in her state she hadn't even thought about it she watched as Atomu dragged the unconscious form of Chikara out of the arena and over to them.

"I'm guessing this is a fail isn't it?" He asked as the other began to snore.

* * *

Silence filled the air as the trio stood outside of the building awaiting their test results. Which admittedly they didn't think they were going to get as due to Chikara's display earlier and how it had affected the woman more than likely they were going to be told to just leave. But it had been nearly an hour since then in which both Chikara woke up and the woman had been taken away by more employees to be treated in the infirmary they had on site so the fact it was taking so long did give them some hope.

"...It's not my fault." Chikara said defensively causing the other two to look at him "You heard what she said the doc TOLD them to let me go all out!" He reasoned.

"We're not blaming you Chikara." Bunji assured "But the whole purpose of this was to bring some good attention to The House of Evolution as well as better the relationship between us and the association." He explained.

"And now it seems as though we might have failed miserably." Atomu said causing them all to sigh in unison.

"Why would the doc tell her to do that though?" Chikara asked.

"Perhaps he wanted to show not only what he was capable of creating but what his creations could do as well." Atomu suggested.

"Yeah but now it seems like they're more afraid than impressed." Bunji argued which caused them all to sigh once more.

However before their conversation could continue the sound of the door opening caught their attention and as they looked to see who it was that had come out they found none other than woman holding some papers with a smile on her face as well.

"Glad to see you three didn't leave." She told them as she walked over.

"Are you alright miss?" Atomu asked receiving a nod in response.

"Oh yes I'm fine it was nothing more than a bit of shock is all." She assured.

"Are you sure?" Bunji asked as she stopped in front of him.

"Of course I'm sure! I'm standing here aren't I?" She asked before she held out the papers "Anyways though here are you rankings!" She exclaimed causing their eyes to widen.

"Wait you mean we're actually still gonna be heroes?" Chikara asked causing her to giggle.

"Of course you are!" She answered as she wagged the papers slightly "Now go on and take a look at where all of you ended up!" She ordered.

Though surprised that they had still been cleared to be heroes they each swiftly took their paper from her looking it over.

"I'm C class?!" Chikara asked as he gripped his paper.

"I'm B class." Bunji said while a bit disappointed was still content with the result.

"..." Atomu remained silent as he slowly turned his paper around "I'm A class..." He said seeming to be in a state of disbelief.

"Mhm that is correct!" She replied as she pointed to Chikara "While your physical exam score was perfect your written exam only got one point as the only thing you said was "I'm a hero" and nothing more." She explained before pointing to Bunji "You physical test was perfect as well and even though you didn't get a perfect on the written exam what you wrote felt inspired and dedicated which is what got you to B." She explained before pointing to Atomu "And as for you, you are one of the few people to ever get a perfect on both exams because what you wrote as simply as can be described felt like the words of a real genuine hero." She explained before lowering her hand to her side "Overall you all should feel proud of what you accomplished here today for even though you each received different rankings you gave it your all." She praised.

Having silence overcome them once again even though Chikara was unhappy about his ranking he still surprisingly felt proud though it was only because of her words.

"Thank you miss." They all said in unison slightly bowing their heads as they did.

"Oh no need to be so formal, my name's Aki." She told them this time receiving nods from them "Also if you ever want to train or have any questions or issues regarding your hero duties and the association feel free to come back at any time." She added.

Feeling smiles of their own now come to their faces the trio turned around and began to leave. Though after having taken but a few steps Aki spoke once more which caused them to stop.

"Before you go!" She called as they looked back to her "Earlier during Chikara's exam you told me that he had a lack of morality and was mentally unstable." She recalled "But looking past when he went into carnage mode he seemed to be perfectly normal." She noted "So my question is how is it he seems so normal now if he wasn't when doctor Genus created him?" She asked.

Looking between themselves as if silently trying to determine how they should answer this it was surprisingly Chikara who stepped forward first.

"I dunno how much these two told ya but when I was made I was basically supposed to be a walking death machine." He began "But after a few weeks passed and I was locked away due to how dangerous I was the doctor came to me and showed me a video." He continued "The video showed One Punch Man fighting some big octopus and after I saw him kill it in a single punch that's when for the first time in my life I felt afraid." He went on "And the doctor saw it too which is exactly why he gave me a choice, either work to better myself or stay the way I was and be killed by One Punch Man." He admitted "So ever since then I've tried more and more to be like a person than a monster though as you saw I still can't control carnage mode and I DO still get pretty full of myself when fighting's concerned." He concluded.

Letting all of the information he just gave her sink in Aki unable to keep her smile from growing a tad bit bigger replied.

"I'm so glad to hear that." She told him "Because you are strong Chikara and when you're able to control carnage mode there's not a doubt in my mind you'll reach even S class someday." She complimented "But if there's one piece of advice that I can offer even though I'm just an employee and not a hero is that you should try to let others help you, because I've seen so many heroes with amazing potential give up because they let their egos get too big." She said which caused him to smile.

"Thanks I'll keep that in mind." He replied "Oh and sorry for scaring you." He apologized.

"Think nothing of it." She told him before wagging her fingers in front of her "Now off you guys go it's gonna be dark soon!" She said.

Feeling an unusual but pleasant feeling of joy come to them the trio with everything that needed or wanted to be said out of the way proceeded to head back to The House Of Evolution.

"Hey." Bunji spoke as they walked gaining their attentions "I bet ya Kamakyuri's gonna love to hear he's a higher ranking than you." He said which while causing Atomu to laugh angered Chikara.

"YOU TELL HIM AND I'LL MAKE YOU INTO A THROW RUG!" He threatened which only caused Atomu to laugh more.


	20. Punch Sixteen

When it comes to preparation there are three kinds of people the unprepared, the good enough, and the overly prepared. And even though Saitama and friends were by no means your typical every day people they were still not exempt from this rule for once the announcement of the interview went public each person had to deal not only with preparation but also the fans. To begin our observation of each individual we look to none other than Saitama who as you could guess really didn't care about the whole thing and just planned on wearing his costume to the interview. Then we had Genos, King, and Tatsumaki who weren't too different in their approach towards the interview though they still had a small bit of anticipation so while they didn't go overboard they did make sure to look presentable when the time came.

And of course we have Mutsuko and Fubuki who unfortunately are the overly prepared ones of the group for even though Fubuki whilst shopping wasn't as expressive and loud as Mutsuko they both were admittedly exploding with excitement. So now my dear readers with all of this being said and done we look to the day of the interview where our group of heroes await their time in the ACTUAL spotlight.

"ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!" The seemingly endless sea of fans chanted outside the television station though thanks to impeccable sound proofing from inside it was almost undetectable.

"You need this for your place Saitama." King said as he looked around the area "I can barely hear them." He noted.

"It'd probably be more hassle than it's worth." Saitama replied as he too looked around "I mean wouldn't my walls have to be covered in foam or something?" He asked.

"Not at all Saitama." Genos answered gaining the other's attention "There are many ways to soundproof a space, if you want I could do it for you and ensure that your apartment retains it's current appearance." He offered.

"Oh wow thanks Genos." Saitama replied just as Tatsumaki's impatience reached it's boiling point.

"How long are they going to make us wait?!" She asked as she crossed her arms, her stance coupled with her expression making her look somewhat adorable though none of them were going to say that of course.

"Why're you so impatient Tatsumaki?" Fubuki asked with a raised brow "I thought you didn't want to do this?" She added.

"I. DON'T." Her sister replied with widened eyes as to make herself seem more intense "But I DO want to get it over with as soon as possible so we can all go back to Saitama's." She explained.

"Why're we always hanging out at my place by the way?" Saitama asked gaining their attention "I mean it's not an issue or anything I just find it odd how we don't hangout at like Kings, which by the way is a lot bigger." He said.

"Yeah but none of us would be friends without you Saitama!" Mutsuko chimed in "You're like the glue that holds us all together!" She added.

Unfortunately before their conversation could continue a man with a headset and a clipboard walked up to them and spoke.

"Five minutes till we go live." He told them gaining their attention "So if all of you want to go ahead and get onto the set you can." He added.

"FINALLY." Tatsumaki said as she headed for the stage.

Following after their green haired companion once everyone was on stage they found waiting for them a couch big enough for all of them to sit on as well as a finely made wooden coffee table which had beverages on it.

"Well at least they know how to treat their guests." She said as they all walked over and sat down.

"Where's the audience?" Saitama asked as he looked out to the space in front of them only to find the studio's crew at work.

"They're in another part of the building." The voice of Sweet Mask answered just as he himself walked from backstage towards them.

"Wait what?" Saitama asked whilst looking towards the other.

"In order to assure that there would be no security issues as well as no sudden disruptions from the audience we've set them up in a viewing area where they can watch the show." Sweet Mask explained.

"Oh." Saitama simply sounded "But what about people watching it on television? won't they find it a little weird that there's no audience?" He asked.

"We have an additional crew working in that space and when we go live we'll simply cut between the feeds from both spaces to make it seem as if you're all in the same room." Sweet Mask answered.

"Oh." Saitama sounded once more before he moved his gaze to an empty chair on the other side of the table "Well what about the person doing the interview, who's that gonna be?" He asked.

"It will be me." Sweet Mask answered as he placed a hand to his chest "And before you ask, it seems as though no matter how professional the hosts we looked at were they still were bit too biased towards wanting to ask you more questions than everyone else so me being the host was the only solution to ensure your condition was met." He explained.

"Huh...okay." Saitama replied as he looked back to the other.

"One minute!" One of the crew shouted from the set's front as everyone seemed to be finished in getting ready.

"Here we go." Sweet Mask said as he walked over to the chair "I'll of course start off the interview by introducing each of you individually and asking some standard questions then once that's done we'll move onto the questions the public wants answers to." He explained as he sat down.

After a few more moments passed and a few of the lights above them shifted slightly to make the set look as it should even though the building was soundproofed to near perfection the cheers and roaring of the studio audience could still be heard.

"Three!...Two!...One!..." One of the crew who was standing next to the camera exclaimed before pointing towards Sweet Mask telling him that the feed had been switched.

"Hello everyone." Sweet Mask greeted with a smile "Now normally it is at this time where the news or any other regularly scheduled program would be broadcasting, but as all of you watching know it is in this moment when the rare opportunity to interview not one, not two, but three S class heroes as well as three A class heroes, excluding myself has presented itself." He explained.

"Tsk, probably practiced some script..." Tatsumaki muttered beneath her breath as she looked off to the side with a scowl.

"But before we begin with the interview let's meet the heroes who will be answering your questions starting with One Punch Man." He introduced as the camera moved from him to Saitama.

"Hey." He greeted with a slight wave of his hand.

Suddenly for just a brief moment the whole building itself shook as the combined shouts and screams of excitement and joy from both the in studio audience as well as the massive crowd outside the building was so loud it caused everything for that instance to shake.

"Next is the third highest ranking hero in S class Tornado Of Terror." Sweet Mask introduced as the camera moved to her.

"Hmph..." She simply huffed as she continued to avert her gaze from the camera.

"Then we have the eighth highest ranking hero in S class who also happens to be One Punch Man's sidekick, King." Sweet Mask introduced as the camera moved to king.

"Hello." He greeted with a slight nod.

"Moving past him however we meet the three A Class heroes responsible for assisting One Punch Man and Tornado Of Terror in dealing with the meteor a few days ago starting with the highest ranking of the three who happens to be Tornado's sibling Blizzard of Hell." Sweet Mask Introduced.

"It's a pleasure to be here Sweet Mask." Fubuki responded with a smile.

"Finally we have the other two A class heroes and while they may be at the bottom of the rankings this is their first official public debut as heroes so please welcome Genos and Mutsuko." Sweet Mask Introduced.

"Hello." Genos greeted in the same manner as King.

"Hello everyone! It is SO exciting to be here!" Mutsuko exclaimed waving towards the camera as she did.

"And now that introductions are done we can begin with the interview starting of course with the hero everyone's been dying to know more about, One Punch Man." Sweet Mask said as he looked towards Saitama "To start things off we'll be asking a question in regards to the exam you took part in a few days ago." He explained.

"Okay." Saitama simply replied his clear disinterest in the whole endeavor showing quite well.

"Among all of the people we surveyed this question was the one in most demand, it being how do you go about your daily life with how strong you are?" Sweet Mask asked.

"What do you mean?" Saitama asked in return.

"He means how can you do things like open a door and use regular objects like pencils and silverware without breaking them." Genos answered.

"Ah." Saitama sounded before proceeding to answer "Well I don't really think about it too much I just go about my everyday life and do things I've always done." He explained.

"So your strength never get's in the way?" Sweet Mask followed up.

"Not that I've noticed no." Saitama replied.

"Well alright then." Sweet Mask said before he shifted his gaze to Tatsumaki "Next is a question for you Tornado." He told her.

"Fine whatever." She replied.

"After the meteor inciddent a rumor suddenly surfaced and within a few short hours it became the hottest topic of discussion across all social media platforms as well as fan forum websites." He explained.

"First of all that isn't a question." She told him glaring daggers at him as she did "Second of all WHY would I even care about some stupid rumor?" She asked.

"Because the rumor involves both you and One Punch Man." He answered just as a member of the crew walked over and gave him a piece of paper "I quote." He began before he looked towards the paper "Ever since One Punch Man became the hero that he is the apartment building in which he resides is empty per his request as his neighbors began to annoy him with their endless hounding for autographs and pictures, however a few days ago S class hero Tornado of Terror was seen moving multiple objects into the apartment directly next to his does she have reasons of her own or is it something else?" He read before looking back to them.

Once Sweet Mask had finished reading each of them had their own reactions to what they had heard and while some were expected others not so much. Looking first to Saitama while the information of her moving things into the apartment as first surprised him he simply shrugged it off as something harmless like in case she lost track of time while hanging out at his place she'd have somewhere close by to sleep so she wouldn't have to go all the way back home. Next there was Tatsumaki and where everyone in both the audience and crew expected her to get mad or annoyed as it was expected she instead had a shocked expression on her face accompanied by a sudden flush which in turn shocked them as well. After her we had King who at first was shocked much like the audience and crew once a few seconds passed he actually found it wasn't THAT shocking of a revelation given both her and Fubuki's demeanor around Saitama most of the time.

Looking past him however both Mutsuko and Fubuki's reactions were near mirrors of Tatsumaki's wide eyed and slightly flushed as if there was someone who had seen her they feared that they were also seen by either the same person or someone else. And finally we had Genos who honestly didn't seem at all concerned with the rumor and in truth after he had introduced himself was simply staring near dead eyed at the camera.

"Well Tornado?" Sweet Mask spoke as he rested his head on his hand "What do you have to say in response to this rumor?" He asked.

Thankfully it seemed as though the gears in Tatsumaki's mind began to work once more as upon hearing his question she swiftly turned her head to look at him before responding.

"IT'S CHEAP REAL ESTATE NOTHING MORE!" She shouted hastily.

Another brief moment of silence took the air as everyone took in her response and while of course Saitama was one to accept it as the truth for he had no real reason to question it the audience, the crew, and even Sweet Mask though wanting to dive into this a bit more knew very well that would more than likely upset her which NO ONE wanted.

"Fair enough." He replied before he moved his gaze to King "Now onto you King," He said as to gain the other's attention "While there were actually a lot of questions that tied for most requested the one that won the right to be asked first is the one you've constantly seemed to dodge." He explained.

"How I became Saitama's sidekick right?" King asked earning a nod in response.

"That's right." Sweet Mask replied.

Unable to keep a sigh from escaping him as he didn't want to talk about it King knew that there was no point in trying to dodge it as it would yield no success and so closed his eyes before recounting the past.

"Even though my title is the second strongest man in the world I wasn't always like this." He began as he thought back "In truth I was just like everyone else an average joe just trying to go about his life hoping nothing bad would happen to him." He continued "But then one day I was attacked by a giant purple octopus which gave me these scars on my face and while at the time I was fully prepared to die within the fraction of a second suddenly I was okay." He went on "When I looked for my attacker I instead found Sai-...I mean One Punch Man standing above me and while at the time I was speechless later on I found I was unable to get rid of this feeling of guilt as I hadn't thanked him for saving me, so I went to his apartment and thanked him in person." He explained "And whether it was because he saw something within me or maybe it was just the way I thanked him for saving my life he invited me and from that moment on he's been both a mentor as well as a good friend to me." He finished as he opened his eyes.

Upon reopening his eyes however he found that nearly everyone had tear filled expressions as if his story somehow touched them on an emotional level he couldn't understand. The exceptions of course being Genos who was still stone faced, Saitama who was already familiar with the story so it didn't affect him, Fubuki and Tatsumaki who instead of looking to him with tear filled eyes actually looked at him with expressions of amazement, Mutsuko who seemed like she was going to suddenly erupt in a fangasm, and Sweet Mask who while having an expression similar to the sisters was more so surprised.

"Incredible." Sweet Mask said as he looked to Saitama "Is this true?" He asked the other.

"Yeah pretty much." Saitama replied with a shrug "I mean there is a bit more to it like we played some video games and talked for a while but other than that it's pretty much all that happened." He added.

"I see." Sweet Mask said "Well that was so far our most insightful answer but perhaps the others can match it?" He asked as he looked towards Fubuki "Moving on to Blizzard Of Hell this question was asked not only by the public but also by a few heroes as well, it being why haven't you until recently move up into A class?" He asked.

"Well..." She began as she looked down towards her lap "The thing is...even though I am a powerful ESP user my sister is entire LEAGUES above me and while I won't go into the reasons why we are so far apart in terms of sheer power the truth is I still have a long way to go before I can call myself her equal." She answered as she moved her gaze back towards Sweet Mask.

However as she did so for a brief moment out of the corner of her eye she saw Tatsumaki giving a somewhat softer expression than she usually did though the moment she had refocused her attention on Sweet Mask she looked away and reverted back to her usual glare.

"That does make sense." He told her as he crossed his arms "I cannot begin to tell you how many heroes I've seen try out for S class because they let their egos get too big only to have them be brought back down to reality in the harshest of ways." He explained before looking to Genos "Now it's your turn Genos and for your question everyone simply wants to know where you came from as well as how you came to be a cyborg." He said.

Feeling all eyes including those of his friends fall onto him Genos thought carefully as to what he was going say thanks to the advice Fubuki had given him during the whole House of Evolution fiasco.

"...Four years ago my town was destroyed due to a rampaging cyborg, why he was rampaging to begin with as well as why he sought to destroy my town I to this day do not know, however a kind man who was following the trail of destruction the cyborg left behind him discovered my dying form and per my request gave me this new body, and so to this day I continue my search for answers all the while I do my best to protect the lives of those around me so they might not suffer a similar fate." He answered.

As it had already done before silence took hold of the air as everyone allowed his words to sink in and while Mutsuko and Fubuki had already heard his backstory this new delivery whether it be due to it's more compact nature or perhaps how he described it impacted them as well.

"I'm sorry that happened to you Genos." Sweet Mask said though his expression and tone didn't really sound all too genuine "Hopefully you'll find the cyborg responsible." He added.

"That is my goal." Genos replied his normal glare seeming to get a slight bit more intense.

'Well it seems as though we are almost at our first commercial break." Sweet Mask said as he looked towards Mutsuko "However before that we still have a question to ask you Mutsuko and surprisingly enough this question doesn't have anything to do with your unique appearance." He noted.

"Whatever it is I'm ready to answer!" She exclaimed simply happy that people wanted to ask her a question period.

"The question is this, what kind of powers do you possess? beyond flight, incredible speed, and immense strength?" He asked.

"Hmm..." She hummed as she thought "Well I have a few actually for starters I can control any mosquito regardless of species and use them as I see fit." She began "Then you have my proboscis which can extend and should it impale something be used to drain it of not just blood but any liquid in it's body." She continued pointing to her horn "And then finally my most amazing feat is my ability to heal from blood I can restore countless wounds and even lost limbs and organs with enough blood however before I adorned this BEAUTIFUL crimson color I possessed a black and white color scheme which was my original form." She explained gesturing to herself as she did.

"So this is your final form then?" Sweet Mask asked.

"Mhm! every member of The House of Evolution has one!" She answered.

"That is very fascinating." He replied before he turned towards the camera "Well there you have it ladies and gentlemen our first batch of questions all answered but please don't go anywhere as after a brief commercial break we'll be back to answer the next batch." He said towards the viewing masses.

Once his sentence was finished one of the crew signaled that the feed was cut for the time being meaning that they were allowed to relax and take a breather.

"Excellent work." He praised as he rose from his seat "If any of you should need to use the restroom I'd advise doing so now before we're live again." He said before walked away no doubt going to do just that.

Though as he left the set and disappeared into the building somewhere our group of heroes didn't move from their spots on the couch mainly because during that whole interview none of them had even taken a sip of their beverages which by now were cold so they didn't need to go to the bathroom.

"...So..." Saitama spoke gaining their attention "I'm already sick of this." He said as he looked to them "Wanna just leave?" He asked.

"We can't do that!" Fubuki exclaimed "What would Sweet Mask think!" She added.

"Pfft who cares?" Tatsumaki asked as she crossed her arms "I'm with Saitama on this let's get out of here." She said.

"Well I'm not surprised YOU want to leave." Her sister replied as she looked to King "What about you King?" She asked.

"To be honest I just wanna go home." He admitted "Don't get me wrong I'm flattered by all of this attention but it's a bit much for me, I just want to play some video games and relax." He explained.

"Genos?" Fubuki asked as she looked towards the cyborg.

"All of this seems pointless to me." He told her "What do interviews have to do with being a hero?" He asked.

"See he get's it." Saitama said with a smile.

"I'm with blondie." Mustuko said causing Fubuki to look at her with widened eyes.

"WHAT?!" She asked "YOU WERE THE ONE MOST EXCITED TO DO THIS!" She argued.

"Yeah but I thought it was gonna be like those other talk shows where they have you talk about stuff that you like and so on but this just seems really scripted and boring." She explained.

"Whelp guess it's settled." Saitama said as he stood up "Let's get out of here." He told them as he began to walk away.

Following in his actions everyone excluding Fubuki rose from their seats and proceeded to follow him leaving her with a shocked expression.

"You guys can't be serious!" She said as she watched them walk away "What is Sweet Mask going to think?!" She asked.

"Who cares?" Both Saitama and Tatsumaki said this time causing them to give each other a high five.

Completely stunned by the sudden turn of events while she was beside herself by her friends' actions she also didn't want to be the only one sitting there so before they got too far away she quickly rose from her seat and followed.

"Wait up!" She called as she hurried to catch up with them.


	21. Punch Seventeen

"I can't believe we managed to sneak out of there." King admitted as they walked down the street.

Against all conceivable odds and chances our group of heroes somehow managed to walk out and away from the building without any fans noticing them.

"Probably cause we took the backdoor." Saitama said as he put his hands behind his head "They were all waiting at the front for when the interview was over." He added as he looked between his friends "So what do you guys wanna do now?" He asked.

"I thought we were going back to your apartment?" Genos asked.

"Yeah that's what I thought too." Mutsuko chimed in.

"But King's place is a lot closer." Saitama argued "And it has a lot more space." He added.

"He does have a point." King agreed.

"Well I don't care what we do as long as it doesn't involve psychotic nut jobs screaming your name every second." Tatsumaki chimed in.

"I still think we should go back." Fubuki interjected "I mean what is Sweet Mask going to think when he finds out we're not there?" She asked.

"WHY are you so worried about what he thinks Fubuki?!" Her sister asked "He's just some pompous prick who cares more about his appearance than Saitama cares about saving money!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah and that's saying something." Saitama added.

"Because he's the highest ranking hero in class A and he has a lot of input on who get's into S." Fubuki answered.

"So what?!" Tatsumaki asked as she pointed to Saitama "He's the top ranked hero of **S** class! if he wanted he could tell them to put you into S class and it'd happen!" She argued.

"But then I wouldn't have earned it." Fubuki rebutted "And what's the point of having the prestige if you didn't work hard to get it?" She asked.

Even though she wanted to continue arguing about it Tatsumaki DID have to agree with what her sister said and so she simply crossed her arms and looked off to the side.

"Well whatever just stop worrying about what that stuck up idiot thinks." She replied with a huff.

"Fine." Fubuki said with a small huff of her own.

An awkward silence then befell the group as no one really knew how to properly start the conversation up after that brief but still fairly heated argument. But seeing as though none of them wanted to the silence to continue as it would only get more awkward each of them tried to think of something that could easily get the conversation going again. However before any of them could get a word out the universe with it's impeccable coincidental timing as usual seemed to cause all of their stomachs to growl in unison allowing the conversation to resume naturally with no needed effort.

"It seems as though we're all hungry." Genos commented just as Mutsuko put a hand to her stomach.

"Yeah I'm starved." She said with a bit of sigh "I didn't have a big breakfast or anything because I was so excited." She explained.

"Even MORE reasons to go to King's." Saitama reasoned "Dude's got a big fridge filled with all kinds of food." He added.

"Yeah but I'm kinda low on groceries." King admitted "If we're planning to eat at my place we'll need to stock up on the way." He told them.

"I could that by myself if all of you want to just head back." Saitama offered "I know this great little market that always has discounted prices on everything and surprisingly enough it's not generic crap or about to expire stuff either." He explained.

"We couldn't ask you to do that by yourself Saitama." Fubuki replied.

"I don't see why not." He told her "I mean I can get there and back to King's place super quickly it'd only take like a few minutes at best." He reasoned.

"Yeah just let Saitama do it." Tatsumaki agreed as she threw her arms into the air as to stretch "I just want to relax and waste the rest of today." She added.

"But what about the money for the groceries?" King asked.

"I can just swing by my place first to get some cash, I mean it's not like I'm pinching pennies or anything." Saitama answered.

Taking a moment as to think on it while admittedly King and Mutsuko were like Fubuki and didn't want Saitama to have to do it by himself for it simply seemed rude the universe once again sought to have perfect timing as everyone's stomachs growled in unison again, which inevitably swayed their decision.

"Alright sounds good." King said as he put a hand to his chin "But there's a lot of stuff I need and I don't think I can remember it all..." He admitted as he began to try and think on what was in his fridge.

"Don't worry I'll just buy a lot of stuff." Saitama assured before giving his friends a small wave "See you in a few minutes." He said before seeming to disappear.

Although for a moment of course his companions were a bit shocked to see him just disappear they knew with Saitama's speed he'd be back before they even got comfortable in King's place so they decided to slightly speed up their walk as to hopefully get to the apartment before him. Meanwhile in the few short seconds that had past after he vanished Saitama had already made it out of City M and was almost back to City Z.

"Hmm..." He hummed as a few thoughts entered his mind _"I think I should change out of my costume while I'm home, no sense in wearing it if I'm just going to be hanging out at King's."_ He reasoned as he continued to run.

Not even a full minute had passed by since he started to run and already Saitama had made it back to City Z and was swiftly approaching his apartment. And while of course the vacant streets of the city were of no surprise to him as practically EVERYONE was back at the studio no doubt cheering his name as they normally did if Saitama were a bit more observant to his surroundings he would've even at his accelerated pace seen a very unusual person walking down the street seeming to be lost. But unfortunately he did not see this strange and unusual being and so he kept on running until he made it back to his abode.

"Let's see..." He began as he entered his apartment "I should definitely get a lot of everything..." He said as he walked over to his fridge and opened it "Though I'm kinda in the mood for ramen so I might get a bit more of that..." He suggested as he used the contents of his fridge to serve as a sort of grocery list "...Or I could just take my food back with me." He admitted.

Continuing to stare at the near doomsday prepper amount of food he had within the appliance Saitama after a few more seconds of contemplation decided that there would be no harm in just bringing his food back as he pretty much had a little of EVERYTHING. Content with his decision he proceeded to open one of his kitchen drawers and take out several plastic shopping bags, (one must never be wasteful!), to which he began shoving food into each of them. Bag after bag he stuffed with food until he had a solid six bags filled each one containing just a random assortment of whatever it was he happened to be grabbing. Taking yet another few seconds to look at the bags as to make sure there was nothing important missing once he was certain that he was fully prepared for whatever his friends might be craving he closed his fridge's door, went on to change into a more casual attire, then picked up the bags and left the apartment.

"This should be good enough." He said to himself as he closed his door behind him "Though I probably shouldn't run with this cause then the bag's might rip." He noted "Eh I'll just speed walk no big deal." He decided as he headed for the stairs.

Going down the stairwell and back to the street Saitama began to make his way back to King's hoping that none of his friends would have some sort of unusual craving or taste to where what had with him wouldn't be sufficient. Yet as he walked through the city beginning to enjoy the peace and quiet he began to notice there were several holes and dents in the buildings, roads, and even signs as if something had struck them with an insane amount of power. And as if it were following the rule of three just as he began to wonder what the cause of these strange damages could be the universe provided him with a possible answer as he turned a corner to another street and saw just up ahead a person seeming to be covered in seaweed. Unfortunately before he could even begin to get close for a better look or even try to say something to get their attention the figure upon hearing his footsteps turned to face him revealing that besides the unusual appearance they also possessed an unusual gaze, one that could only be described as the eyes of a madman.

"There you are!" The being exclaimed it's voice being somewhat indifferent in the way of gender leaving them even in that regard a mystery "I've been looking for you everywhere! I've even been thrashing the place trying to get you to come out!" It admitted.

Now having confirmation that whoever this was or WHATEVER this was had been the culprit behind the damages he'd seen Saitama leaning towards the idea that this being was either a villain or a monster simply continued to approach them not wanting to start a fight if this was actually something completely harmless and just unfortunate happenstance.

"People up here say that you're the strongest guy around!" The being continued to say as a VERY sinister grin appeared on it's face "But what do surface dwellers know? they're all so weak!" It exclaimed as the seaweed surrounding it's body began to rise into the air.

Nope, definitely a villain or a monster, even if that grin was yet another unfortunate characteristic this "person" possessed, the fact that they were calling people weak just gave away that they had some kind of enlarged ego which is a very common trait among evil doers.

"So why don't you show me One Punch Man, just how strong you really are!" It shouted just as the seaweed shot forth towards him.

Stopping in his tracks as to watch the seaweed attack him just as it was about to reach him only one thought came to his mind.

 _"Huh...I forgot soup stock..."_

* * *

"Wow! look at all of this stuff!" Mutsuko exclaimed as she looked on in awe at the near mountain range level of food that sat on the counters.

Just as everyone was beginning to wonder what was taking him so long did Saitama appear at King's door and with him enough food to feed an entire army...or just the same his friends.

"When I said I was low on groceries I didn't mean I needed to be stocked up for the next several months." King said as he just like Mutsuko stared at the insane amount of food present.

"Eh I didn't know what you guys wanted to eat so I just got a little bit of everything." Saitama admitted with a shrug as he cooked.

"I have a question." Tatsumaki said as she pointed towards the counter "Why the hell did you get so much kombu?" She asked.

Following her gaze both Saitama and the others looked towards the insane amount of kombu that nearly took up what little counter space was left which of course made his friends now wonder the same thing.

"...It was the cheapest thing really." He lied as he returned his focus back to cooking "SUPER cheap, like the cheapest thing I've ever seen." He added.

"But still this seems a bit excessive." Fubuki chimed in as she looked it over.

"Well...you know me...I love a good sale..." He replied.

"You know they say that kombu is good for hair growth." Genos stated causing everyone excluding Saitama to suddenly take on a shocked expression "Though there is no scientific evidence or research that supports this." He added.

Even though Genos didn't realize the accidental blunder he just made everyone doing their best to not laugh slowly looked to Saitama who simply had this deadpan look on his face.

"In fact there are many different hair remedies some of which that do use kombu as an ingredient." Genos continued still not realizing how much of a sensitive topic this was for Saitama "If you would like I could look up the most effective hair restoration treatments as to see which one would yield the most results." He went on.

And no doubt if he hadn't been interrupted he would have continued to talk more and more about hair rejuvenation techniques and treatments but sadly the nerve of Saitama's that he had been unknowingly jabbing at gave way as Saitama cut him off.

"NO ONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT HAIR!" He shouted wanting nothing more than to take the focus off of his shiny head.

Unfortunately this outburst did away with whatever restraint the others had and so they were unable to keep themselves from bursting into laughter. Unsure as to why they were laughing and why Saitama seemed to be upset all of sudden Genos simply stood there and waited for them to stop so that he could ask what was so funny.


	22. Punch Eighteen

"HA HA HA HA HA!" A massive humanoid octopus bellowed as he stomped from the beach towards the city, all nearby civilians screaming in terror as they ran away from him "Humans! if you wished to be spared from annihilation take heed! I bring a message from the depths!" It proclaimed.

However not too far from this location was there a hero already responding to the threat and while his means of transportation might not be the first thing one would think of it still was serving him well in traversing the distance with haste.

" *HUFF* *HUFF* *HUFF* " Mumen Rider breathed as he pedaled hoping he would make it to the creature before anyone could be hurt.

"HA HA HA!" The creature bellowed once more his laughter while still fairly distant now a bit louder telling him he was getting closer "You will surrender the surface to us! the clan of the sea folk!" It ordered as it cast it's hand out in front of it.

Upon hearing it's intention for the people and their city Mumen Rider as it usually happened felt a surge of energy suddenly hit him as he somehow pedaled even harder increasing his speed nearly tenfold.

"There you shall become our nourishment, bipedal human scum." It stated just before the sound of it's footsteps stopped.

Unknown to the cyclist for justice as he raced towards the creature hoping to keep it from harming others already was there a hero present.

"Hm?" The creature sounded as it leaned forward hoping to get a better look at the human who had caught it's eye "What a head! are you related to an octopus by any chance?" It asked as it pointed towards the human before it erupted in another bout of laughter.

.

.

.

Silence?

Unsure as to why it had suddenly gone quiet when it was just laughing aloud Mumen Rider turned the corner to the street where he believed the monster would be only to be met with a shocking sight. While he had been correct in that this was the monster's location and in truth PART of it was still standing from the waist up it had been completely destroyed only bits and pieces which lay scattered everywhere as proof it did have an upper half.

"Man that was awesome!" A nearby civilian shouted as people began to gather around it's corpse.

"Yeah it was like a water balloon bursting!" Another added.

"Well what do you expect? it picked a fight with One Punch Man!" Yet another replied.

It was at this point that Mumen Rider began to lose track of what they were saying for some began to cheer whilst others simply chanted. But even as his ears became flood with the overjoyed and excited sounds of the crowd one thought managed to take place in his mind.

 _"Saved the day once again."_ He thought as a small smile came to his face _"If only I could be like you..."_ He wished as he turned his bike around.

Not wanting to somehow gain credit for this feat when he had done nothing Mumen Rider simply resumed his pedaling as he headed back home.

* * *

"What's with all the sea stuff lately?" Saitama asked himself as he walked down the street "First there was that seaweed guy now a giant octopus." He continued.

After having dealt away with his most recent encounter with evil Saitama feeling a bit depressed that as usual it only took a single punch to win the day decided to take a nice leisurely stroll back to his apartment. Though if there was ONE saving grace about his overwhelming strength is that any time he ever displayed it such as when dealing with a monster or villain people regardless of what city they're in loved to flock to the scene as to somehow relish in his feat. Which in turn meant while there would be of course a few people he'd have to dodge through ally ways or something similar for the most part after every act of heroism he did he could have a nice quite reprieve as he went back home. However as he eventually made it back to his street before he got close to his building he could already see someone sitting out in front of it and if he hadn't had just dealt with them the day before he would've never guessed who it was.

"Oh hey." He greeted it being just loud enough to get the other's attention.

Upon hearing his voice the being who was once covered in seaweed though now only had one sticking from it's head looked towards him, and where Saitama expected to see the somewhat sanity lacking gaze he had seen the previous day instead he saw the look of someone who seemed down on their luck. A bit surprised to see such a drastic change as he had never really had something like this happen before once he had closed the distance between them and now found himself standing in front of them he struggled to think of how he might be able to break the ice. Thankfully he wouldn't need to think for too long as the being once he had stopped before him moved it's gaze to the ground and spoke.

"...Why didn't you kill me?..." It asked it's tone matching the look in it's eyes "I heard you end every fight in one punch...so why didn't you kill me?..." It added.

Continuing to be surprised more and more as this went on Saitama was truly at a loss for words on how to respond to a question like that but he knew he couldn't just stand there and keep silent so he tried to give an answer that would be sufficient.

"I...didn't think you deserved to die." He answered as he rubbed the back of his head "I mean yeah you attacked me but it didn't seem like you were really all that bad." He continued "It's not like you were saying stuff like you wanted to kill me or anything you just wanted me to show you how strong I was right?" He asked.

Silence came between them for a moment or so as the being let his words sink in but just as Saitama began to think he might've screwed up they responded.

"Yeah..." It replied as it shifted a slight bit "I'd heard how you were the strongest person around so I wanted to see if it was true." It admitted before seeming to get sadder "But now that I know it was true you should've just killed me." They said.

Even though at many a time Saitama could be a bit dense or at the very least unaware of the full scope of things he was by no means an oblivious knucklehead nor was he a dimwit and so he before voicing the question that now formed in his mind took a seat next to the being.

"Why do you want to die?" He asked his tone while serious still possessed genuine concern which surprised the other.

"Why do you care?" They asked as they averted their gaze "I'm just some monster." They added.

"If that were true then you would be dead." Satiama answered "But the monsters I've seen and dealt with aren't capable of emotion, they're just mindless killing machines who only care about themselves." He explained before he looked to them "None of them seemed to be able to feel anything unlike you." He stated.

"I don't FEEL anything!" They spat back as they clutched their knees to their chest "I'm...just afraid..." They admitted.

"Of what?" He asked.

"...The Sea King." They answered "I told everyone I knew that I was gonna come to the surface and I was gonna take on their strongest hero and when they all started laughing at me that's when the sea king gave me a choice." They explained as their hold on their knees strengthened "Make a name for myself on the surface and prove them wrong or come back with nothing and be punished." They said.

"Why would you be punished?" He asked.

"Because sea folk are supposed to be the strongest creatures on the planet." They answered "The sea king is always saying how we are the top of the pyramid and all other life is beneath us, so if we ever lose to a surface dweller...then we deserve to die..." They explained as they buried their head into their knees "That's why you should've just killed me...because if I go back now...The Sea King will kill me...but first he'll make an example of me..." They began to say but were unable to continue as the words seem to be caught in their throat.

Looking to this being with a gaze of both concern and curiosity Saitama no longer saw a monster, a villain, or even just some cocky punk but instead what he saw was something like a child afraid of the dark or the monster under the bed, the only difference here being that the monster was real and so was the threat.

"...Hey." He began as he placed a comforting hand on the other's shoulder "If you want you can stay with me." He offered.

Unsure as to whether or not they had heard him right the being immediately turned their head to face him revealing that they had tears forming in their eyes.

"W-What?..." They asked.

"I said you can stay with me." He repeated though this time with a smile "It sounds like this sea king guy is a jerk I mean just because you lose a fight to someone doesn't mean you deserve to die." He explained "So since you can't go back to where you're from and you probably won't be able to live anywhere else or get a job cause of the way you look you can stay with me." He offered once more.

Staring at him as if they were a deer in the headlights the being completely at a loss for words could not keep their eyes from overflowing with tears though instead of shedding them out of sorrow they were now shedding them out of joy.

"Thank you!" They exclaimed as they out of just sheer happiness wrapped their arms around him hugging him as tightly as they could.

And while as anyone would be in response to such a sudden action Saitama after his brief shock left him felt his smile get a bit bigger before he patted their head.

"It's no big deal." He assured them "You're not that big so you shouldn't take up a lot of room." He reasoned.

Hearing them laugh a small bit at that which only caused his smile to grow a bit more still they remained as they were for a few seconds longer before the other broke the embrace.

"Sorry I got your suit wet." They apologized as they dragged an arm across their eyes.

"Eh it's nothing." He replied "I've had worse BELIEVE me." He told them causing them to laugh once more.

"You're funny." They said as a smile came to their face as well "What's your name by the way? other than One Punch Man." They asked.

"Saitama." He answered "What's yours?" He asked in return.

"The other sea folk just called me kombu on account of...well ya know." They answered as they pointed to their head.

"That's rude." He said "That'd be like calling me caped baldy." He admitted causing them once again to laugh "There's no way I'm gonna call you kombu just because it's your hair so you need an ACTUAL name." He told them as he began to think "Hmm...how about...Kaemon?" He suggested.

Taking a moment as to consider it, it only took a few seconds of contemplation before the other smiled and nodded their head.

"Alright then Kaemon it is." He said as he stood up "Let's go inside I'll give you a tour of the place though there's really not much to it." He admitted as they stood as well.

"Sounds good." They replied their smile seeming to get bigger.

And so with his new companion AND roommate in tow the duo went up the stairway and into his apartment.


	23. Filler Punch Four

_"You seem happier than usual Tatsumaki."_ Those words played like a broken record's tune in Tatsumaki's head as she flew through the air.

If there was one thing Tatsumaki love in this world more than being the powerful person she was (and Saitama), it was being able to fly through the sky and while during these times not have a care in the world. But this time was different than the others for instead of aimlessly flying through the sky with no real destination in mind the esper was in fact on her way to Saitama's. Though as she flew through the sky the beginning words of a conversation she and her sister had over the phone before she left for some reason stayed in her mind the most causing her to be slightly frustrated for she could not figure out why.

 _"Happier than usual..."_ She thought as a pout came to her face _"I don't know WHAT she's talking about, I'm ALWAYS happy."_ She continued _"...But I have been laughing more..."_ She admitted as she looked off to the side _"...And I have been smiling more too..."_ She went on before changing her expression back to her usual glare _"GOD why is this bothering me so much?!"_ She mentally screamed.

Increasing her flight speed by a small bit after a few more minutes of flying through the air did Tatsumaki reach Saitama's apartment building. Slowly lowering herself so she would be able to land on his floor once she made it over the guard rail she placed herself directly in front of his door before landing on her feet, her hair falling back down as well as her green aura disappearing as she did. However just as she was about to knock as to see if was even in the door suddenly opened revealing none other than Saitama standing on the other side in casual clothes.

"Oh hey Tatsumaki." He greeted with slightly widened eyes since he wasn't expecting to see her let alone ANYONE just standing there in front of his door "What're you doing here?" He asked.

"I was bored so I decided to come hang out with you." She answered with a shrug.

"Oh." He sounded as he looked off to the side "Well I was actually going out to do some shopping." He told her.

"Low on food?" She asked.

"No not really." He answered "I've kinda just got some new expenses is all..." He explained as he scratched the side of his head.

Unsure of what he meant by that before she could ask another question the sound of water splashing onto tile came from within his apartment specifically the bathroom.

"What was that?" She asked as she looked behind him into the apartment.

Sadly before Saitama could come up with some kind of far fetched lie the bathroom door opened and out stepped a soaking wet Kaemon who surprisingly seemed to have grown back their seaweed but only to just beyond their shoulders.

"Ah that's better~" They sighed blissfully with their eyes closed "I prefer salt water though has a better taste." They admitted as they opened their eyes.

You know in westerns when the showdown begins and a tumbleweed just rolls on through as the gunslingers stare one another down? Well that's basically the scenario that was playing out only instead of two hardened cowboys you have a fairly surprised and somewhat furious Tatsumaki, a VERY surprised Kaemon, and Saitama who was like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Um...hi?" Kaemon greeted awkwardly with a small wave.

"...Saitama." Tatsumaki spoke as she slowly looked to him "WHY is there a naked person covered in SEAWEED inside your apartment?" She asked.

Still completely frozen stiff as this situation had gone from okay to nuclear in just a few short seconds Saitama thinking of the best way to explain the situation as fast as possible managed to come up with what he believed was the best response.

"Okay, so there is this guy and he's basically a fish king and he told Kaemon that they had to beat me or he was gonna kill them but after I ripped off their hair yesterday they couldn't go back because ya know the fish king so I let them stay with me." He explained.

Silence took hold of the air once again as his words sunk in with Tatsumaki and just as he was beginning to think she had followed let alone believed what he just told her, her gaze suddenly changed from slightly miffed to ABSOLUTELY pissed.

"DO YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT?!" She questioned "THAT IS THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING I'VE EVER HEARD!" She shouted before pointing towards Kaemon "NOW TELL ME WHO THIS IS AND WHY THEY'RE HERE!" She demanded.

"Um excuse me." Kaemon spoke gaining their attention "Who are you?" They asked.

Now to most Saitama included this was a legitimate, sensible, and logical question for Kaemon to ask as they had never met Tatsumaki before. However given she was already pissed off this question did nothing but fuel her rage unfortunately.

"WHAT?!" She questioned before storming past Saitama and into the apartment "HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO I AM?!" She asked as she now stood before them.

"Because I've lived on the bottom of the ocean most of my life." Kaemon answered "So I don't know a lot about the surface really." They added.

"Uh Tatsumaki." Saitama spoke causing her to look over her shoulder and back at him "Maybe you should calm down a bit?" He suggested.

"I AM CALM!" She spat back before turning back to Kaemon "AND AS FOR YOU!" She exclaimed before pointing to them "WHY ARE YOU NAKED?! DON'T YOU KNOW THAT'S WRONG?!" She asked.

"But this how I've always been." Kaemon said as they looked down at themselves "And no one's ever had an issue with it before." They argued.

"Seriously Tatsumaki I think you should-" Saitama began to say only to be interrupted by the other.

"ONE MORE WORD AND I PUT YOU THROUGH THE FLOOR!" She threatened before she grabbed onto Kaemon's hand "LET'S GO!" She ordered as she began to pull them towards the door.

"Where are we going?" Kaemon asked a bit too shocked by what was happening to be concerned or even afraid.

"WE'RE GETTING YOU SOME CLOTHES!" She answered as they walked outside.

Using her ESP to slam the door shut behind them the duo proceeded to head to the stairwell and descend to the ground level. Meanwhile back in the apartment RIGHT in front of the door Saitama having had the door slammed in his face needed a few moments to process what had just transpired.

"..." Silent he kept as his brain tried to make sense of everything "...I'll just take a backseat to this one." He decided as he went to his living room to watch some TV.

* * *

Being a hero brought forth a lot of new things fame, fortune, and of course glory but there are many things that are never mentioned nor warned when one becomes a hero such as the insane fans, the media hounds, and of course the never blinking stares everywhere you go. But as Tatsumaki stood outside a dressing room inside a clothing store the stares she received were not just because of her S class hero status but also because she had walked in with a person that could only be described as a living shadow with seaweed hair.

"What's taking so long?!" She asked impatiently as she lightly tapped her foot.

"What am I supposed to do with this stuff?" Kaemon asked from the other side.

"You're supposed to try it on and see how it fits you!" She answered "Haven't you ever worn clothes before?!" She asked.

However instead of receiving a response of any kind silence suddenly came between them and as a few more seconds passed she came to realize the answer to the question herself.

"...You've NEVER worn clothes?" She asked.

"...I've never had to." Kaemon answered.

Feeling irritation build up inside her once again Tatsumaki after pinching the bridge of her nose for a second or so proceed to walk into the changing booth as to help them.

"Okay look." She began as she picked up a pair of pants "You put these on your legs." She instructed as she then held up a t shirt "You put this on your body." She continued before she held up a pair of boxers "And THESE go on before the pants do." She finished as she set the undergarments down.

"Why didn't you start with them first then?" Kaemon asked.

Taking just a moment to take a breath as to calm herself so she wouldn't start shouting in the store once she was certain there was no risk of an outburst she then responded.

"Look." She began as she pointed towards them "All you have to do is try on the clothes, see if they fit, and if they do then we buy them and more of the same size." She explained "And before you even ask if they DON'T fit we just adjust the size based on if they're too tight or too loose." She added.

"Okay." Kaemon replied as they began to get dressed.

Feeling a small bit of satisfaction come over her Tatsumaki left the dressing room to give them some privacy. Though come to think of it as she looked to them in the dressing room she really couldn't tell even then if they were a boy or a girl as their body was pitch black.

"Hey." She spoke hoping it would get their attention "What are you by the way? a boy or girl?" She asked.

"I'm neither." Kaemon answered causing her to raise a brow.

"What do you mean you're not either?" She asked "Everyone's either a boy or a girl." She added.

"Not me." Kaemon replied "I wasn't born like most creatures are I kinda just sorta happened." They admitted.

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" She asked.

"Well...it's kinda hard to explain." Kaemon answered.

"Try." She urged.

Hearing the other let out a sigh a few seconds passed by as Kaemon tried to think of a way to explain where it would not only make sense but also leave no room for countless questions.

"...So." They began as they continued to think "Most sea folk just kinda happen as well but with them it's like evolution." They explained "So like how all life came from the ocean because certain animals learned to walk on land that''s kinda what happened here but minus the moving onto land part." They continued "This all started first with The Sea King and then the rest of us followed soon after." They went on before taking a brief pause "...But sometimes sea folk are giant octopuses or sharks or even just fish..." They admitted "...Sometimes they're the food..." They finished though with that last bit their voice seemed somewhat shaky.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that near the end of their explanation they were beginning to touch on some sensitive area for them, and while Tatsumaki did of course realize this her curiosity got the better of her causing her to press the other for more info.

"What do you mean by food?" She asked.

Once more silence came between the two no doubt as Kaemon contemplated whether or not they should answer that question, but thankfully it didn't last long as they made their decision quite quick.

"...I didn't tell Saitama this...so please don't tell him." They pleaded.

"Don't see why I would." She replied.

"...Back in the ocean I was called kombu infinity." They began "The reason why I was called this was because I could grow seaweed from my head endlessly." They continued "And because I was the smallest one and I wasn't as strong as they were my only purpose was to feed them whenever they wanted." They explained.

"So how come you're up here then?" She asked "And why can't you go back?" She added.

"Because my whole life was nothing but a joke." They replied "The only reason I was alive was to feed the predators to them I was nothing but a walking buffet." They continued "But that was so unfair and so stupid I didn't want to just be their slave so I started telling them that I could beat any of them in a fight." They went on "But they of course just laughed at me when I said that and no matter what I did or what I said they wouldn't fight me because I just wasn't worth their time, So that's when I said I'd prove I'm stronger than them by beating the surface dwellers' strongest person." They admitted.

"Which is how you met Saitama." She deduced.

"Exactly." They replied "One of the sea folk heard that there was some surface dweller who could end every fight in a single punch, of course NO ONE believed it and just thought it was some joke, but because I wanted nothing more than to prove I was stronger than them I said I'd do it." They explained before suddenly stopping.

"And if you failed you would be killed." She finished knowing well that the other wasn't going to say it.

"...Yeah..." They replied.

Closing her eyes as to think on what Kaemon had told her as she continued to think about their story more and more for some reason it began to resonate with her for some reason. And it was only after a few more seconds of thinking that she realized WHY their story was seeming to feel more personal than it should for their story was eerily similar to her's. From being surrounded by people who were obsessed with strength and power to the feeling of wanting to prove she was the strongest as to get them to shut up and leave her alone Tatsumaki in possibly the most surprising moment in her entire life admittedly felt something towards the other. She felt as though she knew EXACTLY what they were feeling and what they were going through, which is something she's never felt towards anyone as no one could possibly grasp how horrid her life had been.

"...I understand." She told them as she opened her eyes "I know what it feels like to be thrust into a life where the only way you're going to live is if you're the strongest." She explained "So I'm...sorry for being so rude to you earlier...and a few moments ago..." She apologized.

Having silence for the third time during this whole conversation come between them she admittedly was a bit uneasy for she didn't know how the other would react, but without so much as a warning the changing room curtain pulled open and from behind her Kaemon wrapped their arms around her pulling her into a hug. Now normally upon being suddenly embraced like this by ANYONE Tatsumaki would become enraged or at the very least annoyed and proceed to remove them from her person. But having now learned about the other's past she knew more than likely that the way she had felt until now that no one could understand what her life had been like they felt the same way as well and so instead of pushing them away she simply smiled just a small bit and allowed it to happen. Thankfully though Kaemon seemed to know that staying in this embrace for too long would quickly become awkward so it only last but a few short seconds before they pulled away.

"Thank you." They said no doubt a smile present on their face.

"Don't mention it." She replied as she turned around to look at them.

However just as she was about to say more the sight of Kaemon dressed in the attire she had picked out for them came into view causing her to stop. But not because they looked ridiculous or because they were ugly but because they actually LOOKED really good. Strange as it might sound while the jeans Tatsumaki had picked out as well as the shirt were by no means neon or even fairly bright put against the tar like skin of Kaemon they not only stood out more than would on a normal person but they actually really complimented both their skin as well as their dark green hair. Furthermore in regards to their seaweed hair it seemed as though while they were changing they had decided to straighten it a bit or at the very least make it look less messy by putting most of it behind their head and only letting a few strands hang down on the sides.

"Is something wrong?" They asked unsure as to why she just went silent.

"Huh? oh no not at all." She answered "It's just you clean up pretty good is all, for a pile of walking seaweed that is." She added causing the other to chuckle.

"Yeah well considering this is the first time I've ever put clothes on let's just be glad I didn't come out with everything put on the wrong way." They replied.

Feeling her small smile return to her though this time a bit bigger Tatsumaki grabbed onto the other's hand before leading them back into the store.

"Come on let's get some more outfits." She instructed.

* * *

"They've been gone a pretty long time now." Saitama said as he looked towards his alarm clock.

It has been exactly four hours and twenty three minutes since Tatsumaki and Kaemon both left his abode and headed out into the city and while Saitama knew that she wouldn't hurt the other in any way, shape, or form he still wondered what they could possibly be doing. And if you'd think to pass the time by he'd do some either productive or just simply entertaining you'd be wrong for after he got bored of watching TV he watered his cactus, read some manga, washed his suit, then finished it all off with a nap. Yet even with that INCREDIBLE amount of AMAZING things having been done he only managed to kill about two hours and so for the rest of the time he's just been sitting here staring at the ceiling. Thankfully though as if some benevolent being sought to free him from his boredom the sound of his front door opening caught his ears causing him to look towards it.

"Finally." He said as the door was almost fully opened "What took you guys so-" He began to ask only to stop as the sight that lay on the other side of the door was one he could have NEVER expected to see.

Standing there in his doorway was in fact Kaemon and Tatsumaki however besides the brand new outfit Kaemon was wearing both were carrying what seemed like near two dozen bags, Tatsumaki with her esp and Kaemon with their seaweed of course.

"Sorry we took so long." Kaemon spoke first apologizing "But look at all the cool stuff Tatsumaki bought me!" They exclaimed as they held their bags out.

"Before you even ask." Tatsumaki spoke as to keep him from doing so "After I bought Kaemon some clothes we decided to get something to eat and it's then that Kaemon told me that they're only seven years old." She explained.

"Yeah sea folk are just naturally bigger than surface dwellers and we learn how to do stuff faster too." Kaemon added.

"So seeing as how they're basically an overgrown kid I thought they'd like to have a shopping spree and buy a lot of stuff that they might like as well as some stuff for me." She continued gesturing to her bags "And as for space for the stuff don't worry about it we talked and Kaemon's going to live in the apartment to your right since no one else is living there." She went on "So we're gonna get everything set up in there and then we can all hang out." She finished before she turned back around and walked out.

Following right behind her Kaemon used one of their seaweed tendrils to close the door behind them as they left so Saitama wouldn't have to get up and do it himself. Speaking of, as the duo entered the apartment to his right and began to get everything set up Saitama simply sat there once more trying to make sense of what just happened as any sane and rational being would.

"...Yup...glad I took a backseat." He said as he moved his gaze back to the ceiling.


	24. Filler Punch Five

Peace and quiet, the two main ingredients used in every instance of peace, tranquility, and of course serenity. But sometimes the second ingredient of silence by itself can be the very opposite of the result when one combines it with the other. If you aren't sure as to what I mean in short quiet on it's own while bringing a nice lull in a mostly noisy and busy world can also bring forth a sense of unrest and even in the more extreme cases paranoia. Which is the exact case for our favorite hero in the world Saitama who at this moment is looking around his apartment like a meerkat searching for predators.

"It's quiet..." He said as he continued to look about "...It's never this quiet...where are they?..." He asked as he got up from his seat to look out his window.

Slowly peeking around the corner of his patio's windowed doors Saitama first looked behind his apartment before moving to the door and doing the same via the peephole to the front and on both sides there wasn't a single person to be found.

"...Something's going on..." He reasoned as he put a hand to his chin "The fans and reporters never miss a chance to camp outside..." He continued "It's almost as if...they've disappeared..." He added.

Beginning to think as to where everyone could possibly be in truth Saitama wasn't too far off in thinking they all had disappeared for excluding the likes of him, Tatsumaki, Kaemon, and the shop owners of City Z the whole place was near abandoned at the moment. The reason behind such a strange occurrence mind you not being anything on a colossal scale or even an above average one, it was because walking through the streets at this exact moment was a man with a smile that could put anyone else's to shame.

* * *

 _"I'm getting close!"_ Sonic thought to himself as he walked down the street _"This idiot doesn't even TRY to hide where he lives! it wasn't even child's play trying to find him!"_ He mentally boasted _"Now that I know where he lives I can attack him whenever and however I want! and THEN we'll see whose the strongest!"_ He mentally cheered as his already excessively wide big tooth grin somehow managed to get even bigger.

Continuing towards Saitama's apartment just as Sonic was about to lose himself in his own thoughts (and arrogance) his heightened ninja senses caught the faint but clear sound of blades being slowly and carefully dragged against each other as if they were sharpening each other. Stopping in his tracks to continue listening to the sound Sonic was able to determine they were coming from the intersection ahead of him which meant one of two things. Either A. this was something harmless and it wouldn't be of an concern to him or B. it was some kind of hero waiting to ambush him. Deciding that instead of simply calling them out should this actually be the latter Sonic within an instant vanished from sight and by using his speed went to the rooftop of the building at the corner to get an bird's eye view of the street below.

However as he stood on the ledge of the building and surveyed the ground below Sonic saw no one and the sound responsible for having put him on alert was gone.

"Hmm..." He hummed as he continued to examine the area _"I know it wasn't the wind...I've sharpened my own blade too many times to not know what it sounds like...so where are they?..."_ He wondered as he crossed his arms.

I feel as though it needs not to be said that Sonic is clearly different from most people whether it be his remarkable speed, his insane ninja skills, or even just his god awful spine tingling grin he would easily stand out in a crowd. The reason why this is relevant is because one of the many key things about him was due to his training his senses were heightened, which was already apparent of course given how was able to hear such a faint low noise from such a great distance. Which is exactly why he is but one of only a select few who could dodge an attacker who just almost magically seemed to appear behind him swinging the aforementioned blades as their means of offense.

"GOTCHA!" His attack shouted as it seemed as though their attack had been successful.

Sadly for his mysterious assailant after a few seconds passed by he noticed that Sonic was no longer standing where he was once and the thing he had attacked was actually his after image. However before they could wonder where the other had gone off too a sudden gust of wind blew against their back which was more than enough to tell them that their ambush had been reversed. With speed that while Sonic would never even say was commendable to others was in fact astounding the individual spun around and using their blades block the attack from the other, which if he had been late in doing so by a second or even misplaced the position his blades were held in he would have been skewered. But this mysterious stranger wasn't the only one who was shocked for now as Sonic was face to face with his attacker he saw exactly what they were and while he by no means was terrified or even taken aback to say he could've expected this would be incorrect.

For the being that stood before him the same who much like Saitama somehow managed to block his attack was a near seven foot tall humanoid praying mantis and the blades it was using to attack were actually it's arms. But as one who knows of Sonic could easily guess after just a few seconds of being caught in this shocking revelation Sonic leaped back from his attacker to the other side of the rooftop causing the other to lower his arms.

"You're fast." Sonic complimented as a smirk came to his face "Not as fast as ME of course but still fast enough to not die immediately to one of my attacks." He added as he pointed his sword towards the other "So who are you? or should I say WHAT are you?" He asked.

"I am the B class hero known as Kamakyuri!" He answered as he suddenly entered a stance "And there have been reports of someone matching YOUR description walking around in this area terrorizing people with a sinister grin!" He exclaimed as he pointed one of his claws towards the other "So I'm here to take you down!" He revealed.

Silence filled the air as Sonic let the other's answer sink in with him and after a few moments of thinking on it he couldn't keep himself from chuckling"

"YOU'RE a hero?" He asked as he lowered his sword "Wow, I knew heroes were a bunch of losers, but to think that they'd allow something like YOU to become a hero just goes to show they'll let ANYONE become a hero." He said before erupting into laughter.

"Laugh now evildoer!" Kamakyuri replied "Because I will be swift in making quick work of you!" He assured.

Now laughing at the "threat" this creature just gave him Sonic continued to do for almost a minute more before he stopped and looked towards the other.

"YOU think you can handle me?" He asked as his former smirk became a grin "Fine, I guess I can spare two minutes to kill you before I get back to my original target." He decided before disappearing.

Not needing to wonder as to how he disappeared Kamakyuri surprisingly enough managed to do the same and for a few moments after it seemed as if both had just left instead of continuing to fight. But then at such a speed that if any spectator were to blink they most certainly would've missed it multiple slash marks and indents to the rooftop suddenly appeared with no such much as a single sound being given off. This would continue to go on for the next few seconds as neither seemed to land a direct hit or at the very least one that lasted for very long but thankfully this would go on no longer as both clashed against the other in the center of the rooftop, the force and speed at which they had done so causing a blast of wind to be sent from around them.

"Alright." Sonic said as their blades were pressed against each other "I'll admit, you're not as helpless and pathetic as I thought." He complimented only to have his smirk return "But that only means this fight's going to go on for a few extra seconds, a minute if you focus on dodging." He stated.

"You're really cocky you know that?" Kamakyuri asked "Might want to watch that arrogance, cause it'll be what get's you killed!" He exclaimed just as they disappeared once again.

Over the next minute the two would continue to dish out attacks at speeds that none could see leaving the only evidence a fight was even happening to the damage they were dealing to the roof. Sadly though this current stage of the fight as said only went on for a minute for after that minute had passed both fighters reappeared on the roof except one wasn't as he once was.

"Looks like you lost something." Sonic taunted as he pointed his sword to the dismembered right arm of the other which lay in the middle of the rooftop "If you want I could even that out for you so you don't look stupid." He offered with a sinister smile.

 _"Damn it I screwed up!"_ Kamakyuri mentally berated as he gritted his teeth from the pain _"It was a rookie mistake too! I got too aggressive with my strikes and left myself open for attack!"_ He continued as he looked to his wound _"Before I was able to hold my ground, but now I'm completely defenseless on one side! and I'm nowhere near as good with one blade as he clearly is..."_ He noted before he looked back to the other _"I've got no other choice, I have to go all out...otherwise...I'm going to lose."_ He decided as he stood upright.

Unsure as to what he was doing Sonic while not worried or preparing himself to strike did make sure to keep a close eye on any slight movements he might make so he could counter.

"I'll admit you're strong, the strongest opponent I've fought so far as a hero." Kamakyuri praised "Most people can't even use guns right, so to see someone possess such skill with a sword is a treat." He continued.

"Hm? what's this?" Sonic asked as his rested his sword on his shoulders "Are you trying to keep me from killing you by complimenting me?" He asked "Because if so I can promise you it won't make a difference." He assured.

"I'm not trying to stop this fight." Kamakyuri replied "All I'm saying is that it's nice to have an actual challenge for once...one that makes me use my last resort." He said.

Unsure as to what he meant by "last resort" Sonic would receive clarification as the moment the other had finished speaking his by far most odd detail which was his brain that instead of having a skull cover it instead had a glass dome began to glow. Watching as the light continued to grow more and more Sonic decided that this was nothing more than some kind of distraction to by him some time so without hesitation he dashed towards the other readying to strike. But just as he was upon the other and he swung his blade to deal the final blow just as it had made contact something that no one not even Sonic could've guessed happened. His sword the likes of which had only ever been shattered by Saitama broke apart the moment it touched the other's body.

Near completely stunned by what he had just witnessed before Sonic could react to it properly Kamakyuri suddenly disappeared from view. Landing where the other once stood Sonic was about to search the area for his foe until just as before he dodge the other's attack for he had gotten behind him.

"Do you honestly think you're going to hit me with one ar-" He began to taunt until his eyes once more widened in shock.

Standing behind him with BOTH arms was in fact Kamakyuri but beyond the fact his arm had somehow grown back his overall appearance had changed, from his once green color he now adorned a light blue and in place of the dome which covered his brain was in fact a skull though in truth it looked more like an armored helmet than a head. But the most surprising thing to happen in this instance by far wasn't his sudden change in appearance, his arm suddenly returning to him, but as Sonic dodged the attack and Kamakyuri swiftly followed up with another while the blow did not make actual contact it did just barely miss causing it to make a small tear in his clothes.

 _"He's faster!"_ Sonic thought as he dodged _"Not only that, but there's something different about the attack, it's almost as if...he now intends to kill me."_ He noted as he leapt back to the other side of the roof.

Keeping his gaze firmly locked onto the other Sonic watched as Kamakyuri after having missed his attack stand upright and look to him, which revealed another change it being his eyes which were no longer bright yellow but a much darker and intense crimson which admittedly matched the look he was giving him.

"You've gotten stronger." Sonic said as he sheathed his broken sword "Why not just start the fight like this instead?" He asked.

"I am part of a series of beings designed on a genetic level to be superior to humans." Kamakyuri began revealing yet another change this time in his voice from the former higher toned hissing like nature of his original it was now deep and sounded more like a person speaking. "Each of us were meant to serve a specific purpose and while I am not the strongest of them I am the perfect balance of precision and speed." He continued "As for why however I did not start in this form is because it is meant as a safety mechanism for should I ever encounter someone stronger than I am." He admitted.

"So what? now you think you're on the same level as me?" Sonic asked as he pointed to the tear in his clothes "Just because you managed to get my shirt? seriously?" He continued to ask as he lowered his hand to his side "The ONLY reason you even got that close to hitting me was because I wasn't expecting my sword to break when it hit you but now I'm going to finish this fight so I can fight someone whose actually WORTH my time." He stated.

"If you think you can then so be it." Kamakyuri replied "But the likelihood of you leaving this roof alive is slime to nonexistent." He said as he entered another stance.

Doing the same as he did Sonic too entered a stance and for the next few seconds neither of them moved as they were hoping the other would do so first. But then as they had done in every clash between them they both suddenly disappeared before proceeding to trade blows. However unlike before where the only signs a fight was going on were slashes and dents to the roof the power behind each of their blows as well as the speed was so great that each impact was basically a minimized sonic boom causing all nearby windows to break along with some of the building. Blow for blow they continued to clash and while Sonic did not possess his sword he still was an expert in hand to hand combat so while he never directly hit the sharped blades of his foe he did attack his arms and the sides of the blades as to maybe try and break them.

But the more and more they traded blows and the more he made contact with the other Sonic realized that his body was no longer just bug carapace but it truly felt like real armor and so even though he'd never admit it in truth there wasn't any way who could break it with regular attacks. Of course though this just meant that he would need to kick things up a notch and so after a few more blows to ensure there weren't any weak spots he could exploit Sonic began to simply avoid the other by dashing around the rooftop in order to gain more speed.

"Do you seek to run now?" Kamakyuri asked as he chased after him "Because if you wish to flee I will pursue and will not cease till you are dead!" He exclaimed.

"Such big talk for a walking bug." Sonic replied as he continued to dodge and dash "It's time I show you what I do to worthless little insects like you!" He exclaimed as he leapt into the air.

Watching as the other flew into the air above after he reached the apex of his jump Sonic put all of his weight forward causing him to spin rapidly towards his opponent.

"WIND BLADE KICK!" He shouted as he extended his leg outward readying to end the fight with this blow.

It was in the moment as Sonic rapidly approached the other that for the second time in his whole life someone instead of simply looking on in fear or trying to avoid the attack that Kamakyuri leapt towards him seeking to clash in the air.

"MANTIS STYLE! CROSS BLADE SLASH!" Kamakyuri shouted as he held his blades together in an x formation in front of him.

.

.

.

Stillness, that was the only word they could think of to describe what the world felt like after they had clashed for even though both combatants were going at neck breaking speeds in that singular instance it felt like time had slowed to as close of a stop as it could without committing. Soon enough though they both landed back on the rooftop and as they each waited for the impact of the other's blow to hit them they found there was no pain nor any actual damage dealt to their person. And while upon this discovery being made they for that second were confused they thought back to the exact moment they collided and realized that their attacks had canceled each other out, both the speed and the power of each were near identical so neither had even the smallest advantage. Upon having this realization come to them Kamakyuri began to look towards Sonic but found that he wasn't there and as far as he could tell he wasn't trying to attack either.

"It seems he's left." Kamakyuri said to himself as he looked to the ground in front of him "I must speak with doctor Genus about this." He decided before he too disappeared from the rooftop.

Meanwhile as Kamakyuri began to make his way back to The House of Evolution, Sonic was leaping across the rooftops making his way out of the city as well.

 _"Another person who can withstand my attacks?!"_ He questioned for his ego had just been dealt a serious blow _"THIS CANNOT STAND! I AM THE STRONGEST PERSON IN THE WORLD! AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I'M BESTED BY **TWO** PEOPLE!" _ He mentally shouted.

And so as both Kamakyuri and Sonic swiftly left City Z behind they each had a new drive fuel their being with the same goal of becoming stronger in mind. But what about Saitama?, what has HE been doing as this whole fight has gone on without him knowing?

* * *

"Alright seems like we're done." Tatsumaki said as she looked over the apartment "What do you think?" She asked as she turned to Kaemon.

Looking over the space themselves Kaemon was more than just satisfied at how it all turned out in fact they were flat out overjoyed.

"It's awesome!" They exclaimed before looking to Tatsumaki "Thanks for buying me all of this stuff!" They said.

"Eh it was nothing." She replied with a shrug "I've got more money than I know what to do with really." She admitted.

"Let's go get Saitama and show him how it looks!" Kaemon suggested as they headed for the door.

Unable to keep herself from smiling a small bit at how excited and happy Kaemon was with their new home she followed the other to Saitama's apartment where upon going inside they were met with a rather...unusual sight.

"...Saitama." Tatsumaki spoke as she stared at the other "Why do you have your ear pressed to the floor?" She asked.

"I'm trying to see if there are people in the apartment below mine..." He answered "No one's outside cheering so they HAVE to be trying to sneak in here!" He reasoned.

Exchanging a quick glance to Kaemon Tatsumaki couldn't keep a sigh from escaping as she shook her head.

"You REALLY need to get you head examined..." She said as he continued to listen to the floor.


	25. Filler Punch Six

"You're sure of this?" Doctor Genus asked as he looked towards Kamakyuri.

"Doctor I would never try to deceive you." The other said before gesturing to himself with one of his blades "But what other reason could I POSSIBLY have to enter my final form other than to match my opponent's power?" He asked.

Knowing well that none of his creations would ever lie to him Doctor Genus released a sigh before standing from his seat.

"I know Kamakyuri...it's just...the only people who were meant to withstand the power I gave to all of you were the highest ranking S class heroes excluding One Punch Man of course." He explained "But now that there is some ninja running around who can match your final form's power leaves me to wonder if he too could be just as powerful." He admitted causing the other become wide eyed.

"Sir you can't be serious!" Kamakyuri exclaimed as he rose from his seat as well "No one can be as powerful as One Punch Man! it's unthinkable!" He argued.

"No it's not." Doctor Genus replied "Based on the data we've gathered on him as well as what he has allowed to be known about himself One Punch Man was once a normal human being, and yet with no genetic alteration, no mystical force, or anything else of an extreme or ludicrous nature did he become as strong as he is." He explained "It is not unreasonable to assume that more people could obtain the same power should they overcome their limiter." He continued.

"Limiter?" Kamakyuri inquired.

"It's a theory that the heroes association, Doctor Bofoi specifically and I have been working on, we believe that everyone has instilled within them a limiter a sort of safety if you will, but if one should seek to become more than what they were ever meant to be than through enough effort they can surpass their own limitations and become what it is they wish to be." Doctor Genus explained "However as we've explored the ramifications of this theory we've also taken into account as to how One Punch Man seems as a person, from several different recorded instances it seems as though where most people would have some kind of an emotional reaction HE does not, which has led us to believe that in exchange for surpassing one's limiter you must sacrifice something as well and more than likely it is tailored to the individual." He continued.

"I see..." Kamakyuri replied "So what do you think will be the ninja's exchange?" He asked.

"From what you've told me it seems as though he's already lacking in compassion or at the very least he allows his more savage and blood thirsty characteristics to take priority over them." Doctor Genus answered "So if he were to continue to become stronger more than likely in exchange for power similar to One Punch Man's he'd give up any and all control over himself, in contrast to One Punch Man who seems to have complete control of himself but is progressively losing his emotions which would prove that it is tailored to the person." He explained.

Taking a moment to let all of this sink in Kamakyuri really had nothing left to say other than one last question.

"So what should we do?" He asked.

"Three things." Doctor Genus began as he pushed up his glasses "First we need to start preparing which means more intense training as well as gene treatments and therapy." He listed as he sat back down "Second I'll have to inform the association about this ninja and see if they already have any records on him, which if they do not won't be an issue since I'll request their aid in keeping tabs on him." He continued "Lastly it is imperative that we get One Punch Man to come here so we can run some tests on him and maybe then we'll have a better understanding as to how his power works and perhaps prove the limiter theory." He finished.

Nodding his head to show he understood Kamakyuri proceeded to leave the room but was stopped as the doctor spoke once more.

"Oh and Kamakyuri." He spoke as he looked to the other "I'm glad you're okay." He admitted before proceeding to get to work.

Although he of course couldn't see it Kamakyuri let a smile come to his face before he continued on his way.

* * *

"So where do we start looking?" Frog Man asked as he walked down the street with Ground Dragon and Slugerous.

Even though the trio were of course not the strongest members of The House Of Evolution and in most arguments would be called the weakest they were by no means useless nor incompetent in short what they lacked in brute strength and fighting prowess they made up for in brains.

"Well Mutsuko's probably gonna be flying somewhere, or at One Punch Man's." Slugerous reasoned "It'd probably be best if I looked around for her since I could sense her presence from a distance and talk to her telepathically if she is in the air." He explained.

"That makes sense." Frog Man agreed "I can go and look for Bunji and Chikara since I can jump from rooftop to rooftop and spot them from above." He reasoned.

"So that leaves me to find Atomu then." Ground Dragon said.

"Is that an issue?" Slugerous asked.

"No he's probably my best choice since he'll be the easiest one to track." Ground Dragon answered.

"Alright then it's settled we'll look for them then all head back once we've found'em." Frog Man stated.

However before the trio split up to go their separate ways they all stopped as the same thought all came to their minds.

"...Why don't we have names yet?" Ground Dragon asked.

"Yeah I was just thinking the same thing." Slugerous admitted.

"That makes three." Frog Man said.

"Do we not matter enough to get ACTUAL names?" Ground Dragon asked.

"No that's not true, why would the doctor make us then?" Slugerous asked.

"He's right, we haven't gotten any names yet because...well...we haven't really needed names yet." Frogman argued.

"Well I'm gonna think of a name while I'm looking for Atomu." Ground Dragon said "See you guys later!" He exclaimed just as he began to dig into the ground.

Watching for a moment or so at their friend dig with incredible speed through the earth both Frog Man and Slugerous simply gave a nod to each other before they as well set off in their own directions.

* * *

Most think that the core of hero's duties is to fight evildoers or at the very least prevent disasters and in truth for the most part they are correct. However there is another aspect to being a hero that most heroes included don't ever realize. I'm of course referring to their public image and how people see them for if a hero doesn't have the respect and admiration of those they're sworn to protect then they aren't really a hero. And where most heroes earn this adoration by either looking cool, simply being a great hero, or perhaps by some other means there is also another category which in truth most heroes don't ever fill.

But thankfully Bunji or known to the public as Beast King was one of the few and rare heroes who qualified for this category simply by the default. So let us look now to Bunji as he deals with the result of fitting into the category of "Child Friendly".

"RAWR!" He sounded though with words and not the actual act of roaring "I AM THE BEAST KING! AND I AM GOING TO GET YOU!" He shouted as he held his hands up in a sort of predatory fashion.

Squealing and shrieking in fear though it was of course the playful kind all of the children who had just previously been standing around him ran away in all different directions across the playground.

"There is no use in running!" He exclaimed as he began to slowly chase them.

Watching on from a nearby picnic table the mothers of the children that he was chasing couldn't help but look on with smiling faces as it warmed their hearts to see their children having so much fun.

"Why can't more heroes be like him?" One of them asked "They always seem to rough or weird but not him." She added.

"I know! he's so good with them too!" Another replied as they all nodded in agreement.

"What the, BUNJI?!" A voice asked from behind them causing them to turn their heads.

Looking behind them as to see who it was that had spoken the women all found a half man half frog standing there staring wide eyed at Bunji.

"Oh hello." One greeted gaining his attention "Are you a friend of Bunji's?" She asked.

"You know his real name?" Frog Man responded finding it odd someone outside of The House of Evolution would call him that over Beast King.

"Of course we know his name!" Another exclaimed "He's been playing with our children for a few days now." She revealed.

"...What." He simply said trying to process what she had just told him.

"A few days ago we were all here at the park as we usually are." One of them began to explain "But as we were all talking the kids were tossing a ball around when it got away from them and went into the street." She continued "Now this is a pretty quiet part of town even during the week so there are rarely any cars ever passing through, but further into the city a bank had been robbed and the criminals responsible were in a get away car headed this way." She went on before looking to Bunji "So in an instant the car came speeding from around the corner and was about to hit my son...but didn't...thanks to him." She revealed before taking a brief pause.

Now looking towards Bunji as well Frog Man while he, Ground Dragon, and Slugerous already possessed a great deal of respect and admiration for him and the others, he now had a far greater feeling of both.

"Wow..." He said at a loss for words.

"Afterwards once we got the kids to calm down and the police came to take away the driver and his partner just as he was about to leave the kids begged him to stay and play with them." She resumed "And ever since then he's come back every day to play with them some more after of course he's done as much hero work as he can for the day." She finished.

Still unable to think of anything to say in response Frog Man simply kept staring at Bunji for the more she said about him the more his aforementioned respect and admiration grew.

"But anyways." Another of the mom's began as she changed the topic "Enough about Bunji why don't you tell us some stuff about you?" She suggested which snapped him out of his dazed state.

"W-What?" He asked as he looked to them "W-Why would you want to know anything about me?" He asked.

"Any friend of Bunji's is a friend of ours." She said getting nods of agreement from the other moms in response.

"W-Well..." He began as he nervously rubbed the back of his head "M-My name is Frog Man for starters..." He said only to be cut off by one of the moms.

"Wait what?" She asked as she raised a brow "Your name is Frog Man?, seriously?" She added.

"Um...yes?" He answered not sure if that was what he was supposed to say.

"Oh no that is not okay." She said "That'd be like someone calling us human ladies." She noted.

"Well I have been trying to think of an ACTUAL name...but haven't really come up with anything..." He admitted.

Taking a moment from the conversation to think each of the women began to ponder as to what a fitting name for him would be and after a few seconds one of them came up with one.

"I got it!" She exclaimed with a snap of her fingers "Fujio!" She said as she looked to the others for their input.

Thinking on the name she had suggested each of the women as they continued to think on it slowly but surely had smiles come to their faces indicating that they approved.

"Yeah that sounds perfect!" One exclaimed as they looked to Frog Man "What do you think? does Fujio sound good?" She asked.

Now taking his time to think on the name Frog Man as he kept saying the word in his head over and over to see how it sounded he too felt a smile similar to theirs come to his face.

"I like it." He answered causing their smiles to get a slight bit bigger.

"Then it's settled your new name is Fujio." She said receiving nods in agreement from the others.

Admittedly overjoyed he now had a name Fujio as the laughter and squealing of the children reached his ears was reminded of WHY he was there to begin with.

"Oh right Bunji!" He exclaimed before taking off towards the playground.

"He seems nice." One of the moms said receiving a resounding "Mhm" in agreement as they watched him run towards Bunji.

Over the course of that conversation Bunji had "caught" all of the kids and was now laying on his back as they laid either against him or on top of him.

"How come your neck's so hairy?" One of them asked causing him to chuckle.

"Because I'm a lion and lion's have manes." He answered.

"Not mama lions!" Another kid replied.

"Well they're not the same as male lions." He told them just as another pointed towards something.

"Look it's a giant frog!" They said causing all of them to look in that direction.

"Frog Man?" Bunji asked as the other reached them "What're you doing here?" He asked.

"The doctor sent me!" Fujio answered "Something's come up and he needs you all to come back!" He explained.

"No don't go!" One of the kids exclaimed.

"Yeah please stay!" Another begged as they all began to hug him.

Unable to keep a smile from coming to his face Bunji slowly sat up but only after those on top of him got off first.

"Sorry guys I have to official hero business." He told them "But don't worry I'll be back tomorrow." He assured.

"Promise?" One asked.

"Promise." He answered as he got to his feet.

Though saddened that their big kitty cat was leaving all of the kids waved and said goodbye as he left the park with Fujio.

"So what's happened Frog Man?" He asked as he looked down to the other.

"Dunno all I know is it HAS to be important if the doctor wants all of us there." Fujio answered "Also my name isn't Frog Man anymore it's Fujio." He added.

"Fujio huh?" Bunji inquired "...It suits you." He complimented causing the other to smile.

* * *

"Where could she be?" Slugerous asked as he walked around "I'm not sensing her anywhere..." He mumbled with a sigh as he continued his search.

While yes he hadn't been searching for her for too long admittedly just five minutes, many people some of the other members of The House of Evolution included underestimated the range, reach, and overall power of Slugerous's psychic abilities. By no means though is that to imply he's around the same level as Fubuki or Tatsumaki of course but at the same time it is fairly impressive. Anyways as he continued to walk through the city searching for Mutsuko he soon began to detect her brain waves though it was faint, as if it were being suppressed by something.

"Hm?" He sounded as he headed towards it's direction.

Even with the signal being suppressed Slugerous was able to easily track it's location to a set of stairs leading downward. Unsure as to WHY Mutsuko would be anywhere near a place like this the signal was a tad bit stronger in that direction meaning he'd have to descend. Walking down the stairs until he reached a door he looked above said door and found a sign with the words "Hero's Den". Only having more and more questions come to his mind Slugerous knocked on the door hoping someone would come and open it.

"Who's there?" A voice called from within the depth of it indicating it was male.

"I'm a friend of Mutsu-...I mean Mosquito Girl." Slugerous replied.

"Wait...Slugerous?!" The voice of Mustsuko asked just as the door was opened.

Looking into the room as to see what was going on Slugerous was surprised to see countless amounts of super hero merchandise placed everywhere on shelves, tables, and so on. Furthermore besides Mutsuko who was standing at the door in the back there was a man behind a counter and from how he appeared he gave off the feeling of someone who had seen their fair share of trouble but by no means was one to start it.

"What're you doing here?" Mutsuko asked as she looked down at the other.

"Huh? oh!" Slugerous sounded as he had been focused on the room "The doctor sent me, Ground Dragon, and Frog Man to come find you and the others, something big's happened and he wants all of us to be present." He explained.

"Oh wow, it MUST be a big deal if he needs all of us back." She said as she looked to the man "Hey Sal can I come back later for my stuff?" She asked.

"I don't see why you need to." He told her as he pointed to a door to his right "I've got plenty of empty boxes, just use one of'em to put your things in." He offered.

"Thanks Sal!" She replied as she looked back to Slugerous "I'll only be a minute Slugerous so why don't you talk to Sal while you wait?" She suggested as she headed for the door.

Watching her open the door and walk into a different room Slugerous once the door closed behind her walked over to the counter all the while Sal looked at him with a curious gaze.

"...Tell me somethin." He spoke as he leaned against the counter to look down at the other "Is my hearin messin up or did she just call you Slugerous?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Um...yes?" Slugerous answered.

"...That has got to be the most unoriginal name for you." Sal replied with a deadpan look on his face "That'd be like if Mutsuko's name was ACTUALLY Mosquito Girl." He added.

"Well uh actually that WAS her name up until recently." Slugerous revealed causing the other to take upon another deadpanned expression.

"Did the guy who made you just give you names based on what animals you were?" Sal asked only to receive an unknowing shrug as a response, which in turn caused him to sigh "Alright look there ain't no damn way I'm gonna call you Slugerous, you NEED to have an actual name." He said as he began to think "Let's see now...what would be fittin for you?..." He wondered aloud as he tapped his chin "Hmm...how about...Suguru?" He suggested as he looked back to him.

Taking a moment to consider that name Slugerous as he continued think it over found it to be a very fitting name for him so he simply nodded his head in response.

"Alright then Suguru it is." Sal said with a smile "So now that you have a real name what do ya wanna talk about while ya wait?" He asked.

"What is this place?" Suguru asked as he looked around going for the obvious question first "And why is there so much hero stuff?" He added.

"This my friend is the premium shop for super hero fanfare and merchandise." Sal answered as he gestured to his store "Only heroes and the most respected clientele are allowed within my domain." He explained.

"Wouldn't you make more money if you sold this stuff to everyone though?" Suguru asked.

Upon hearing the question Sal instead of answering right away reached down to the bottom of his shirt before lifting it up and showing Suguru his abdomen. However the moment his body was exposed for the world to see Suguru saw that nearly his entire body was covered in scars some being clear in what made the wound but others not so much.

"I used to be a hero." Sal admitted as he lowered his shirt "And while I didn't stop because it became too much for me I was forced to give it up after one serious fight." He explained as he pointed to where the scars were "Those scars were just from some close calls nothin to serious, but the REAL career destroyer was this shiner." He revealed as he pulled his shirt's collar down.

Feeling his eyes widen in shock as to what he was seeing over Sal's left breast was some kind of device seeming to be connected to his heart.

"Courtesy of Metal Knight himself." He said as he let go of his shirt "Now I was never an S class hero but I WAS A class good with both my fists AND my weapons." He admitted "However one day when I was just walking along minding my own business an explosion happens in the city and bein the hero I was I immediately took off towards it." He explained "But when I got onto the scene Metal Knight was already there and was dealing with the monster that had caused the explosion which occurred after it threw a car at a nearby building." He continued "Yet right as I was about to leave and let a top grade hero deal with the problem I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest and when I looked down I saw I had been shot." He revealed "Turns out the beast had dodged his attack and I just happened to be in the worst place at the worst time, so after I fell to the ground and passed out from the pain and blood loss I woke up in a hospital with this thing keeping me alive courtesy of the very man who shot me though by accident of course." He finished.

"Wow..." Suguru said as he was utterly amazed at the other's story "But what does that have to do with you not selling stuff to everyone?" He asked as his question had not been answered.

"Being a hero myself I know first hand the kind of dangers that heroes face whether they be C class or S class." He began as he looked around the room "The kind of things you can buy here are not some massed produced piece of plastic crap but genuine articles given to me by heroes, things like jackets or autographed personal pictures and so on." He explained "And it is because the heroes who give these things to me trust that I'm not going to just sell it to the first crazed fan who walks in but someone who truly admires and respects them and all they do is exactly why I do not sell to just anyone but only those who are more than just fans." He finished as he looked back to the other.

Feeling once again amazed at what had been said to him this time around Suguru had to take a moment to think on those words as they had been spoken with such genuine emotion and integrity. Sadly though before he could think of a response Mutsuko stepped back into the room with a fairly large box in her hands.

"Alright we're ready to go!" She said as she headed for the door "Thanks again for the box and stuff Sal!" She called as she left the store.

"Don't mention it Mutsuko some day I'll be selling stuff of yours once you get famous and all." He replied before looking to Suguru once more "You should get goin otherwise she's gonna get a good distance on ya." He said.

Casting a quick glance in Mutsuko's direction Suguru simply gave a nod in return to Sal before he headed for the door himself. However just as he was about to close the door all the way behind him Sal spoke up causing him to stop.

"Don't you be a stranger now." He said as a smile came to his face "Any friends of Mutsuko's are friends of mine." He added.

Choosing to reply only with a smile and another nod of the head Suguru finished in closing the door before following after Mutsuko.

* * *

 _"Aha! I've got his scent!"_ Ground Dragon cheered as he tunneled through the earth.

Believe it or not due to his incredible digging abilities Ground Dragon after only a minute or so of digging was able to cover more than ten miles in distance which meant locating Atomu's scent would be a piece of cake. Also in case you find that ODD because you're not too educated on moles basically due to their poor eyesight (though they are not blind) they have a very good sense of smell among some other advantages, so when Doctor Genus made Ground Dragon not only did he do away with the faults of a normal mole but also boosted the already heightened capabilities. Anyways once Ground Dragon got a fix on Atomu's scent he began tunneling straight for him with the same speed one would see in a torpedo moving through the water.

 _"Almost there."_ He thought as he was nearing the other's location _"_ *SNIFF* *SNIFF*... _Wait a minute...what's these other smells?..."_ He wondered as several new scents assaulted his nose.

Deciding to not concern himself about these new scents as they were probably just some random plants or even people Ground Dragon continued to dig until he finally broke through the surface where upon doing so he poked his head out to see. However the moment he did so and got a good look of his location he noticed immediately that he was not outside nor in some ordinary building but instead he was in this city's hero's association branch. To make things even worse WHERE in the building he had dug into was the cafeteria for the staff and the current time of day was noon meaning that nearly everyone who worked there was having lunch and was now staring at him. And before you even think to ask only the association's headquarters possesses ANY underground space and the cafeteria is on the ground floor so there were no rooms he had to go through to get to it.

 _"Oooooooooh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no!"_ He mentally screamed as he remained still as a statue _"WHY IS ATOMU'S SCENT HERE?! IN THE CENTER OF A FREAKING ASSOCIATION BUILDING?!"_ He questioned.

Suddenly though as if things weren't bad enough a high pitched squealing suddenly came from behind him, but instead of sounding like a startled or frightened squeal it resembled a more overjoyed one.

"OH MY GOSH!" A woman's voice exclaimed before the sound of someone running up behind him was heard "YOU ARE SO CUTE!" The same voice once more exclaimed as it's owner suddenly grabbed onto him and lifted him from the ground.

Still in a state of shock which in truth was only worsened by what was happening Ground Dragon simply kept limp as the mysterious woman hugged him.

"Ground Dragon?" The voice of Atomu asked from behind him thankfully snapping him out of his stunned stated.

"Atomu?!" Ground Dragon asked as he tried to look behind him "What're you doing here?!" He asked.

Hearing the heavy footsteps of the other approach him he soon saw Atomu walk around the woman who was still hugging him so they could speak face to face.

"To answer your question." He began as he pointed to the woman "This is Aki she's the one who helped me, Bunji, and Chikara become heroes." He explained.

"Oh." Ground Dragon sounded "Well can you tell her to please stop hugging me?" He asked.

"Oops! sorry!" She apologized as she set him down on his feet.

Even though for the most part Ground Dragon found himself underground after he was released from her grasp he dusted himself off before looking back to Atomu.

"Anyways, the doc sent me, Frog Man, and Slugerous to come find you and the others. something big's happened and so everyone needs to be there." He explained.

"Really? what is it?" Atomu asked.

"Dunno." Ground Dragon simply answered with a shrug of his shoulders "He really didn't say anything about it." He added.

"I see." Atomu replied "Well I guess we better go get Chikara then." He said as he walked away.

"Wait a minute, he's here?!" Ground Dragon asked as he followed.

"Me and him after being on patrol for a few hours decided to come here and train for a while." Atomu answered.

"We have an excellent training facility for heroes of all kinds." Aki stated as she too followed "If you'd like you could try it out sometime." She offered as she looked down to Ground Dragon.

"No thanks, I'm not exactly hero material." He replied.

"Oh? and why not?" She asked.

"YOU'VE seen Chikara and the others too." He said as he pointed to himself "Compared to them I, Frog Man, and Slugerous might as well be bugs." He reasoned.

"Just because they possess a great deal of strength doesn't mean they are any better at being heroes than you, everyone has their own unique talents and strengths." She argued.

"Yeah well try beating some big hulking monster when you're MY size and see how that goes for ya." Ground Dragon replied in a mocking tone.

"Don't be rude." Atomu scolded as he looked over his shoulder.

"It's alright Atomu." Aki assured "Also your name is Ground Dragon?" She asked.

"Uh huh." He sounded.

"And you said the other two who you came to the city with to find the others are called Frog Man and Slugerous?" She asked.

"That's right." He replied.

"...Does Doctor Genus have an issue in coming up with ACTUAL names for all of you?" She asked.

Upon hearing that Ground Dragon couldn't keep his eyes from going wide and his body from erupting into laughter. As for Atomu while he wasn't as obvious with his amusement at her question he did let out a few chuckles before suddenly stopping.

"We're here." He said causing Ground Dragon to stop laughing.

Looking ahead of him as to see where they had stopped Ground Dragon only saw a metal door which seemed to open by separating into two halves which would then retract into the wall.

"Miss Aki?" Atomu asked as she walked over to the door.

Taking out a key card from her pocket Aki swiped it through slot on the doorway causing the door to open allowing them entry. Proceeding to walk into the next room the moment they were inside Ground Dragon's eyes widened once more as the sight of Chikara fighting against a swarm of drones at an incredible speed inside of a massive arena came into view.

"Whoa..." He muttered in awe beneath his breath as drone after drone Chikara destroyed them as if they were nothing.

"Believe it or not he's actually in Carnage Mode." Atomu said causing the other to look at him in both shock and fear.

"WAIT WHAT?!" He questioned as he pointed to the arena "BUT ISN'T HE SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE PURPLE AND GREEN AND HUGE WHEN THAT HAPPENS?!" He asked "NOT TOO MENTION ABSOLUTELY INSANE?!" He added.

"That's why he's training." Aki answered as she pointed to Chikara "He's not COMPLETELY in Carnage Mode but he is using a slight bit of it as to get used to the intensity and power little by little." She explained.

"Wait...seriously?" He asked as he looked to her receiving a nod in response.

"After he took the exam and I saw his Carnage Mode at it's fullest I thought that maybe if he only used a little bit of it he might be able to progressively gain control over it." She explained.

"She even talked to the doctor about this." Atomu said "And after considering it for some time he agreed that if Chikara were to use only a small bit that would be a good way to ease him towards the full effect." He too explained.

Looking between them for just a moment Ground Dragon then moved his gaze to Chikara who was still going at the seemingly endless supply of drones without so much as a droplet of sweat seeming to be on his form.

"Anyways we should stop the training protocol so we can tell him we have to go." Atomu said.

"Right." Aki replied as she walked over to the console.

Pressing a few buttons before pulling down on a lever soon the drones that had not been broken yet all fell to the arena floor.

"HEY!" Chikara shouted as he looked around him "Who turned off the drones?!" He asked as he turned around to which he got his answer "Oh it's you two." He said just before his eyes caught Ground Dragon "...Ground Dragon? what're you doing here?" He asked.

"The doctor needs us all to come back something urgent is happening." Atomu answered for the other.

"Oh really? well alright then." Chikara replied as he began to walk towards them "Kinda a shame though I was just getting into it." He admitted.

Stepping out of the arena Chikara walked over to his companions with Aki accompanying him once he walked past the console.

"Whelp let's get going." He said as he headed for the door "So what's so important that the doc needs ALL of us?" He asked as everyone followed.

"He didn't say." Ground Dragon answered "He just told me, Frog Man, and Slugerous to find you guys." He explained.

"Ah gotcha." Chikara replied.

"Alright, that's it." Aki spoke as she adorned a serious look on her face "It's driving me nuts that you don't have a name so let me think of one real quick." She said as she began to think.

"Wait what?" Ground Dragon asked as he looked to her "You're gonna give me a name?" He asked.

"I don't see why not." She answered as she pointed to Atomu and Chikara "I gave them and Bunji their names." She argued.

"That is true." Atomu said.

"Well okay then." Ground Dragon said "But nothing cutesy or stupid." He added.

"Of course not!" She replied as she resumed her thinking "Let's see...what would be a fitting name for you?...hmm...OH! I got it! Genjiro!" She exclaimed with a snap of her fingers.

"Huh Genjiro." Chikara said as he thought about "Yeah that does sound good for ya." He admitted.

"It does seem very fitting." Atomu agreed.

Even though he admittedly wanted to come up with a name on his own Ground Dragon had to admit that the name DID sound good for him.

"Hmm...alright Genjiro seems like it'd work." He admitted causing Aki to smile.

"I'm glad you like it!" She said.

With that being taken care of the group continued to make their way through the building until they reached the entrance that Chikara could go through.

"Thanks again for letting me use the training arena." Chikara said as they walked out.

"Like I said any time you want to come train here you are more than welcome!" Aki assured "And as for you Genjiro I hope you and the others who haven't taken the exam will consider doing so, I'm sure you'd make excellent heroes." She said.

"Pfft yeah maybe in our wildest dreams." He replied.

"We'll see you later Aki." Atomu said as they began to walk away.

Sending them off with a wave goodbye once they were a few good feet away from the building Aki headed back inside as to resume her lunch break. And so as Chikara, Atomu, and Genjiro all began to head back to The House of Evolution Genjiro unknowingly had the same thought enter his mind that Suguru and Fujio did, that while each of their experiences wasn't how they thought they'd get their names nonetheless they're happy they did.


	26. The Sea King Part 1

City J, a place that most would see as the perfect locale to make a "Wish You Were Here!" vacation card that most buy when they go somewhere for their getaway. From the beautiful beach and view of the ocean to the many attractions it offered to it's citizens and tourists alike it was a seemingly magical place to be. But this city same as the others are by no means ever exempt from the disasters and horrors that can appear at a moment's notice, which is the unfortunate nature of this day that has yet to be revealed. For just off the coast of it's beach beneath the calm yet active waves of the ocean marched a group of creatures that while resembling the likes of sea animals were far different.

Looking beyond the immediate difference which was their bipedal nature, these creatures possessed powers and strengths that one would expect to see in some kind of science fiction movie. And it is the very powers that these creatures seek to use in order to best those on the surface so that they might take the land above the waves as their own.

"Hehehe..." Their leader cackled as he lead their approach "Soon the land above will be ours, so let's make sure to show these pathetic creatures just how inferior they are to us!" He ordered.

Not needing any kind of response as he knew they would follow his command soon they reached a point in their approach where the water was no longer deep enough to hide them and thus they began to show. At first there was no reaction no immediate screams as everyone was focused on their own endeavors, but as they continued to rise from the water's depths that was brought to a swift end.

"What is that?!" Someone from the shore shouted as they pointed to the water gaining the attention of everyone nearby.

"HOLY SHIT IT'S A BUNCH OF MONSTERS!" Another immediately responded as everyone who now looked upon the same sight the first had quickly had expressions of shock appear on their faces.

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" A third one shouted just as they turned to run.

Following in their action everyone in the general area who could see the monster who were approaching started running towards the city, countless screams and shrieks of horror accompanying their escape.

"The surface dwellers are running." One of the creatures said to their leader as it watched the humans scramble.

"Hunt them down, I have something else I must take care of first." Their leader responded as they reached the beach.

Now fully out of the water and standing on land the creatures following their leader's command began to follow after the terrified masses all the while quite eager to begin killing them. As for their leader however he took a few sniffs of the air as if trying to detect a specific odor or scent.

"I will find you, you worthless little wad of kelp." It said with a tooth filled grin as it headed in a different direction from the others.

* * *

"Hmm..." Saitama hummed as he relaxed in his apartment "...Something...doesn't feel right..." He admitted as he looked at his ceiling.

Much like the day before Saitama found himself within the presence of peace which of course was normally an extremely rare treat for him.

"Two days in a row with no fans or news crews..." He continued to ponder as he put his hands behind his head "Normally I'd be happy for the silence...but this time...it just feels weird..." He admitted.

Thankfully his silence would come to it's end as a knock came from his door though not by the hand of some crazed group of fans but instead his "neighbor" Kaemon.

"Saitama?" They asked from the other side of the door as to make sure he was in.

"Yeah come in." He welcomed without moving from his seat.

Doing just as he said Kaemon with their hair pushed behind their shoulders as well as another stylish outfit adorning their form proceeded to enter the apartment and walk over to him before sitting beside him.

"What's up?" Saitama asked as he looked towards the other.

"Nothin much." Kaemon answered with a shrug "Decided to take a break from my video games and come hangout with you." They explained.

"Ah." He sounded as he looked back to the ceiling.

"I'm not bothering you right?" They asked receiving a shake of the head as a no.

"Nah I'm just kinda thinking about something right now." He replied.

"What is it? maybe I can help?" They suggested.

"Eh it's nothing." He assured.

"If it's got you thinking about it then it has to be something." They argued.

However before their conversation could continue another knock was heard from the door causing them both to look at it.

"It's us." The voice of King said from the other side no doubt given his greeting one of the others was also in his company.

"Come in." Saitama repeated as he returned his gaze to the ceiling.

Sure enough as the door opened and King entered the apartment behind him was Genos who seemed to have brand new arms. Unfortunately though King and Genos were the only ones left to not know of Kaemon as after Tatsumaki left the day before she decided to hold another meeting of her, Fubuki, and Mutsuko's fan club where she filled them in on the latest addition to their circle of companions.

"Hi." Kaemon greeted as this was the first time they were meeting them.

"Guys this is Kaemon, Kaemon this is King and Genos." Saitama introduced for them to get it out of the way.

"Um hello." King greeted awkwardly as the other's presence had caught him off guard.

"Hello." Genos greeted with a nod obviously being far less taken aback than King was.

"So what brings you guys by?" Saitama asked as after their short and simple greetings they came over and sat down around the table.

"I was on my way to by a new game and I ran into Genos." King answered "Apparently he's looking for a place to live." He added.

"Wait really?" Saitama asked as he moved his gaze to the other.

"Yes, I thought it would be more covenant for my training as well as visits like this if I lived closer." He answered.

"Well if you're really looking for a place to live then why not live here?" Saitama suggested "There's no other tenants in the building and there doesn't seem to be a landlord anymore so you wouldn't have to pay rent or anything like that." He added.

"Wait, you don't pay rent?" King asked.

"Even if I wanted to do you honestly think anyone would take money from me?" Saitama responded with his own question.

"...True." King replied knowing well if it wasn't out of some sense of crazed loyalty and admiration people wouldn't take Saitama's money out of the fear of angering him, or at the very least displeasing him in any kind of way.

"That does sound like it'd be my best option." Genos said with a hand on his chin as he had been thinking on it over the course of that exchange "And you wouldn't mind if I lived so close?" He asked.

"You're not a psychotic fan who worships me like a god so no it wouldn't be a problem." Saitama replied.

Yet once more before their conversation could continue someone knocked on his door and since King, Genos, and Kaemon were all present that could only leave one obvious answer as to who was standing on the other side.

"Come in." He called for the third time causing the door to open.

And sure enough as everyone was expecting Tatsumaki, Fubuki, and Mutsuko were all on the other side, though the moment the door was open and Mutsuko's eyes fell onto Kaemon she couldn't keep herself from letting out a squeal of excitement.

"OH MY GOSH YOU ARE SO ADORABLE!" She shouted before she rushed into the apartment and pulled Kaemon into a bone crushing hug "YOU ARE JUST AS CUTE AS TATSUMAKI SAID YOU WERE!" She squealed with the most overjoyed expression any of them had ever seen plastered on her face.

"T-Too tight..." Kaemon weakly said as Mutsuko's vice like grip was cutting off their air supply.

Thankfully this wouldn't go on for a second longer as Tatsumaki intervened separating the two with her ESP.

"First off I never said they were cute." She said still not wanting people to see her more softer and person like qualities "Second, if you don't watch your strength and end up hurting them I'll be sure to return the favor." She warned as she set the other down.

"Wow." Saitama spoke causing her to look at him with a slightly miffed expression.

"Wow what?" She asked whilst crossing her arms.

"Nothing, it's just you kinda acted like a mo-" He began to answer her only to have one of his own frying pans be flung from his kitchen and into his face to keep him from finishing that sentence.

"Don't. you. dare. finish. that." She slowly warned as she walked over and took her seat which was between Kaemon and Mutsuko.

Even though he was pretty much impervious to any and all harm Fubuki being the kind of person she was still sought to remove the frying pan from his face and return it to it's place in the kitchen with her ESP all the while letting out a sigh.

"Sorry about that Saitama." She apologized for her sibling as she too took her seat it being to the left of Mutsuko.

"S'not like it could hurt me or anything." He replied with a shrug "Anyways seems like we're all here so what do you guys want to do?" He asked.

"I was just planning on hanging out with you so I'm up for anything." Kaemon answered with a shrug of their own.

"Yeah we were kinda just planning to hang out too." King admitted with a nod of agreement from Genos.

"We didn't really have any kind of plans either." Fubuki also admitted.

"Then how about we just watch some TV?" He suggested.

Looking between themselves as if silently conversing over the idea it was but only a few seconds until they all nodded showing they were on board. Reaching over to his remote which rested on the table Saitama proceeded to turn the TV on where there was a news report already in progress.

"Miraculously the A class hero Stinger is still holding off the monsters who without warning came from the ocean! but he's still only human and if back up doesn't arrive soon he's sure to give way to his fatigue alone!" The reporter said as the camera focused on the fight in progress.

"Whoa he looks pretty beat up." King noted as the cameraman managed to get a decent shot of Stinger's face.

"Yet he's still standing, that's impressive." Fubuki added.

"Please I could wipe the floor with those things." Tatsumaki boasted with a confident smile on her face.

"They look like something the doctor would make, if he was having a bad day!" Mutsuko joked with a small giggle.

"Given their size and strength difference if he has any hope of beating them he needs to somehow kill all of them in a single blow." Genos stated as he analyzed the scene.

Just as Saitama was about to give his opinion on the scene or even change the channel he looked over at Kaemon and noticed they seemed to be stricken with fear.

"Kaemon?" He asked hoping to get their attention "You okay?" He added.

Sadly before he could get an answer or even get confirmation he had succeeded in gaining their attention Stinger suddenly shouted something on the TV before executing an attack which miraculously was able to kill all of the monsters.

"Wow he actually did it." King said with widened eyes.

"That was incredible!" Both Mutsuko and Fubuki said in unison amazed by both his precision and power.

"Eh it wasn't too bad I guess." Tatsumaki said with a shrug.

"Just as I predicted." Genos noted.

"P-Phew..." Kaemon breathed seeming to be relaxed which of course didn't go unnoticed by Saitama.

Yet once again before he could press Kaemon on their behavior something suddenly happened on the TV which admittedly caught everyone by surprise. As Stinger had started to brag and boast on how he took out all off those monsters on his own a massive green fist suddenly appeared out of nowhere and punched him in his stomach. But instead of flying away or just being sent across the ground he remained on the fist and as the camera crew zoomed out the being who the fist belonged to came into view.

"You know..." The being spoke it's voice deep and strangely enough carrying a sense of nobility with it "When something's so annoying, watching it die is a pleasure." It stated just as a crack of lightning darted across the sky giving it a more ominous appearance.

Yet as the image of this monster who was dressed like a king remained on the screen no doubt due to the camera crew being stunned in fear by it before any of them could react to it a scream erupted from Kaemon causing them all to look at them.

"I-IT'S HIM IT'S HIM!" They cried their eyes widened with fear.

"Kaemon what's wrong?" Saitama asked confused as to why they were so scared.

"T-THE SEA KING! HE'S COME TO KILL ME!" They cried as they pointed to the screen.

The moment both Tatsumaki and Saitama heard this they looked back to the TV once more their minds thinking back to what Kaemon had told both of them.

"...I'll be back." Both said in unison as they got up from their seats.

"Where're you two going?" Fubuki asked a bit more surprised at their sudden decision to leave than at Kaemon's reaction.

"Where do you think Fubuki?" Her sister asked in reply before pointing to the TV "We're going to go and deal with the walking sea food platter." She explained.

"Won't you guys need back up?" Mutsuko asked as she pointed towards the screen "He just took out an A class like it was nothing!" She pointed out.

"We'll be fine." Saitama said as he opened the door "But if you all want to come with us and get some credit then you can." He offered.

Looking among themselves as they all considered it while admittedly King was a bit terrified at the scope of the threat inevitably they all stood up as well.

"Of course we'll come, but not for the credit." King said receiving a nod from Genos in agreement.

"What kind of heroes would we be if we just stood by and did nothing?" He asked.

"Yeah! let's go kick that fish's ass!" Mutsuko cheered.

Unable to keep himself from smiling at how his friends wanted to help Saitama proceeded to leave the apartment with all of them in tow, except for Kaemon of course who simply watched them leave still slightly shaking.

 _"T-They're going to fight the Sea King..."_ They thought before they looked down to their hands _"While I'm sitting here, scared out of my mind..."_ They continued before balling their hands into fists and standing up "Hey wait up!" They shouted as they ran out of the apartment after the others.

* * *

"Sir!" One of Doctor Genus's clones exclaimed as it approached him.

Ever since yesterday once all of the members of The House Of Evolution returned they had all been training as well as undergone multiple gene therapy treatments to further empower them. However since they had been going strong since yesterday Doctor Genus decided to give them all a break for a few hours which Mutsuko of course took advantage of by going to see Saitama.

"What is it forty three?" He asked as he turned towards the other.

"A report just came from the association there's apparently a monster in City J whose just taken out an A Class hero!" The clone answered causing Dr. Genus to adorn a look of shock.

"Is it the ninja?" He asked receiving a dismissing shake of the head in response.

"No sir it's something far worse than the ninja, a massive sea bipedal sea creature that seems to possess incredible speed and strength, though they are still uncertain as to it's full capabilities." The clone explained.

Taking a moment to think on this Dr. Genus given that his creations were now heroes for the most part as well as they all Suguru, Fujio, and Genjiro included had been training decided this would be the perfect opportunity for them to try and become even stronger.

"Alright, inform the association we will be offering our aid in the matter." He instructed receiving a nod in understanding form his clone before they ran off to carry out his order.

Pushing up his glasses a slight bit as they had fallen down slightly he proceeded to go to the training room where all of his creations were taking a breather.

"Everyone." He spoke as he entered the space gaining their attention "It's time for you all to show the world what we are truly capable of." He stated.

* * *

 **"This is an announcement from the hero's association, the threat level is tiger, tiger, all citizens please stay clear of the area."** The recorded warning said as it was cast across all intercom systems in City J.

 ***Briefly At Association HQ***

"Was the warning issued?" Bearded worker asked as he looked to Z Branch Operator.

"The request just went out sir." She responded as she focused on her work.

"Good, but now it's looking like we're going to have to update the announcement." Bespectacled worker stated as he walked up gaining both of their attentions.

"What do you mean?" Bearded Worker asked as he turned to look at him.

"Stinger is down sir." He answered causing the other to adorn a look of both shock and frustration.

 ***Back In City J***

"Mumen Rider here, heading in now give me the location." Bicyclist for justice said into his phone as he pedaled.

"We're sorry but all lines are busy at this time please-" The automated response was saying until he closed his phone.

"Ugh where are they?" He asked to himself slightly frustrated it was taking him so long to get there.

"Hey best forget about it!" A voice in front of him called out causing him to stop "Class C heroes can't handle this one." It told him.

Looking to the source of the voice he saw a white truck filled with class C heroes all of which he recognized.

"Huh?" He sounded unsure as to what they meant.

"It's true the word just came down." Another of them said just as the intercoms began to play another message.

 **"Emergency evacuation warning, the threat level has been raised from tiger to demon, all residents of City J please evacuate immediately."** It broad casted.

"See what I mean?" The first hero asked as he held his hand out in front of him.

However instead of being deterred or even frightened by the change of threat Mumen Rider instead felt a surge of determination fill him as he began to pedal once more continuing on towards the city.

"Hey!" The hero called after him but to no avail.

* * *

 **"Emergency evacuation warning, the threat level has been raised from tiger to demon, all residents of City J please evacuate immediately."** The system repeated.

"Evacuate? the fools, as if I'd let even one of these apes escape." The Sea King said to himself as his gaze seemed to intensify.

As the massive monster continued to walk down the street from a nearby roof top the A class hero Lightning Max tracked his movements via a handheld telescope.

"I see, that's the one that got Stinger." He realized as he lowered the telescope from his face to his lap _"But he's the last of them, should I wait for backup?"_ He wondered before closing his eyes _"If it's one on one maybe I can-"_ He began to debate before stopping mid thought.

Almost as if were a ghost the monster who had just been on the ground below was somehow behind him, but thankfully due to his awareness he was able to react though not in the most collected way.

"AAAAAH! ADOHNFIENFODONFCLWELJRBJBVBPW!" He shouted though due to his surprised stated it was only gibberish before he leapt into the air and delivered one of his trademark kicks to it's face.

"That stings a little..." Sea King spoke with his arms crossed as Lightning Max landed not too far from him "Why would you do this?" He asked.

 _"Damn it! how'd he get behind me?!"_ Lightning Max wondered as he took a step back _"I was so surprised my voice went crazy, plus my gunpowder charged lightning kick had zero effect! I can't win!"_ He realized as he took another step back.

"And who might you be?" Sea King asked a look lacking of any kind of remorse stuck to his face.

"I...am the hero called Lightning Max, fight me!" He challenged as he got into a stance.

"Fight you?" Sea King questioned seeming to be amused.

 _"I'll run for it soon it as soon as-_ " Lightning Max began to plan out until a powerful force suddenly struck him in his gut.

As if he had teleported in front of him Sea King was suddenly upon him and with his sudden closure of distance did he bring a punch which had enough force to send Lightning Max flying from the rooftop and into an office building that was across the street. Crashing through glass and cubicles alike Lightning Max soon found himself lying on the floor staring up at the ceiling his whole body screaming in pain.

 _"W-What the hell happened?..._ _"_ He wondered as the attack had been so fast he hadn't seen it _"U-Ugh...I can't feel my body..."_ He thought as the sound of thunderous footsteps approaching reached his ears.

Slowly a shadow was soon cast over him and with whatever strength he still possessed he looked in front of himself as to see what the shadow belonged to only to find Sea King squatting before him.

"Hehehe..." He snickered as he rest his head in his hand an arrogant and cocky grin present on his face.

"Damn it, arrogant guppy..." Lightning Max taunted as he somehow through the pain managed to get to his feet.

As he now stood before the other who even while squatting was still towering over him Lightning Max knew if he didn't act fast his life would be in even more danger than it already was and so without hesitation he activated the mechanism in his shoe before carrying out another attack.

"LIGHTNING FLYING BACKWARDS ROUNDHOUSE KICK!" He shouted as he landed a blow to the other's face.

Sadly even as the office space filled with the blinding light of his attack's discharge it seemed as though there was no effect once again which resulted in Sea King simply punching him sending him flying out of the building through a wall. Now rendered unconscious as the pain was more than any normal human could handle Lightning Max was swiftly falling to his death unable to save himself. But just as it seemed this hero's life would meet it's tragic end on this day the sounds of footsteps running as well as a metal chain being tugged about filled the air before an unknown savior leapt into the air and saved Lightning Max from his imminent demise. Gently setting him on the ground as debris fell behind them his savior then put a hand to their chest before introducing themselves.

"I'm the S class hero Puri Puri Prisoner." He said as a ray of hearts SOMEHOW began to shine from behind him "I escaped prison, just to see you." He admitted.

"Um excuse us." A voice spoke from behind him.

Slightly surprised that there would be anyone nearby Puri Puri Prisoner turned around to see who it was that had spoken to him only to have his sight fall upon The House Of Evolution's members. Unfortunately for them however Puri Puri Prisoner was NOT present during the attack the association conducted a good while back due to his prison sentence, meaning that given the current threat was a giant fish man his first thought upon seeing these half human half animal hybrids was that they were in cahoots with the other.

"You there." He said as he pointed towards them "Are you responsible for ruining Lightning Max?" He asked as he gestured to the other.

"Wait what?" Bunji asked.

"Don't lie to me now or I'll hurt you even more!" Puri Puri Prisoner warned.

"Look guy we didn't touch anyone." Chikara replied as he raised his hands defensively "We're heroes just like you and we came to deal with the other guy." He explained.

"Oh is that so?" A voice from behind Puri Puri Prisoner asked causing them all to look in it's direction.

Walking out from the dust and smoke the debris had caused was none other than Sea King who upon having Chikara and the others enter his sight couldn't keep his already present smirk of amuse from growing in to a grin.

"What's this? the surface dwellers have made some kind of mockery of the sea folk?" He questioned as he bared his teeth even more "How amusing to think they would consider such horrendous creatures to be even close to OUR level of perfection." He mused.

"WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY?!" Chikara roared knowing well they had just been insulted.

"Chikara calm down!" Ground Dragon urged as he stepped in front of the other.

"My, I feel the strength erupting out of him!" Puri Puri Prisoner exclaimed as he turned back around "You all hang back while I deal with him." He said as he raised a finger to the other "Class A rank eleven sweet Stinger and class A rank twenty Lightning Max, I fancied both of those lovelies, then you show up out of nowhere and ruin them!" He exclaimed as he balled his hand into a fist "Now I might be the lowest in my class but I am still class S unlike those two you've defeated." He explained as he lowered his hand to his side "I'll start things off at half power to gauge how much you can take!" He shouted as his muscles began to flex.

Watching as he let out a power filled yell both Sea King and the others soon saw his whole body bulk up making him get a tad bit bigger in size. Unfortunately as this happened the sweater he had atop of his prisoner's attire stretched beyond it's limits causing it to tear into many different pieces and fall to the ground. Horrified by what just happened the world seemed to go in slow motion for Puri Puri Prisoner before the sudden realization of what he had just done hit him.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! YOU MADE ME RIP THE HAND KNIT SWEATER MY BOYFRIEND MADE FOR ME!, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU, YOU BASTARD!" He shouted as loud as he was able.

 _"But YOU'RE the one who ripped it you idiot!"_ The House of Evolution members thought with a unified sigh.

"Mmm~ a delectable slab of meat prime and tasty, you've wet my appetite!" Sea King exclaimed as he dealt a blow to Puri Puri Prisoner's face.

Taken aback by the force and power of that punch the others couldn't keep themselves from having shocked expressions appear on their faces whilst Sea King had a satisfied look on his. However unlike Stinger and Lightning Max Puri Puri Prisoner was not one to go down after a single punch and so after only a few seconds having passed he returned the favor as he dealt an equally devastating punch to Sea King's face, his expression being one of pure hatred and rage.

"Huh? oh dear." Sea King said though it was a bit muffled as the punch had been so great it caused the left side of his face to somewhat cave in.

Yet before he could continue to express his confusion Puri Puri Prisoner dealt another blow this time an uppercut which sent him back a few feet. As for the others they were still in a state of awe as they had not expected such a display of power to be given.

"I felt that..." Sea King muttered as his face seemed to instantly reconstruct itself doing away with all of the previous damage "Just a little." He said as his cocksure smile soon reappeared.

"I felt that as well...a little." Puri Puri Prisoner replied as he placed a thumb to one of his nostrils as to blow out some blood from the other.

"He's lying." Kamakyuri noted as he stared to the other "He's acting tough but that punch did a lot more damage to him than he's willing to admit." He added.

"From my analysis while it didn't cause any internal damage nor break his jaw it DID succeed in slightly dislocating it, any more direct hits like that and he's at risk of having his skull be shattered." Atomu noted.

 _"Damn it his punch was stronger than I had expected, even so I must not lose to him! I can't have anymore of my boys so savagely destroyed by this monster!"_ Puri Puri Prisoner thought as he got into a stance "I have no choice, gotta go all out." He said just as a blinding light shined from his chest "Ready? TRANSFORM!" He shouted as he was encased by a purple glow.

Feeling as though their eyes were about to burst out of their heads in shock the others had nothing to say nor to think as the sight of a now completely nude Puri Puri Prisoner entered their vision.

"PURI PURI PRISONER! ANGEL STYLE!" He shouted as he flexed his biceps his prisoner outfit falling to the ground with his sweat pieces.

Still unable to do anything as the sight of this muscular naked man had them frozen stiff from shock the others could do nothing but continue to spectate with their mouths all hanging open.

"No one's seen my angel style and lived to tell about it fish man." He told the other as he struck yet another pose.

 _"BECAUSE THEY ALL DIED OF HORROR!"_ The others thought as they were finally able to conjure at least one thought in response to this spectacle.

"Quite unsightly..." Sea King replied as he gave Puri Puri Prisoner a disapproving look.

"Are those...YOUR LAST WORDS?!" He asked as he leapt high into the air.

Thinking that there was nothing left he could do to shock them further the others soon found themselves proven wrong as SOMEHOW a pair of bright glowing angel wings sprouted from his backside illuminating the area.

"Huh?" Sea King sounded as he too admittedly was caught of guard by it.

"ANGEL RUSH!" Puri Puri Prisoner shouted as he came down towards Sea King and upon reaching him began dealing a rapid barrage of blows.

Screaming like a madman as he punched away while the others could not see what was happening as he was causing a dirt cloud to form around him and Sea King they could tell from sound alone that he was giving it his all and then some.

 ***Briefly Elsewhere***

"Hm?" Genos sounded as he stopped running and looked towards the city.

"What is it Genos?" Saitama asked as they had all stopped.

After having left the apartment Saitama with the others in tow took off running towards City J, but since the only ones who could really keep up with him and Tatsumaki were Genos, Fubuki, and Mutsuko this meant that King and Kaemon would need to be lifted their with Tatsumaki's aid.

"I'm detecting elevated power levels coming from within the city it is more than likely the Sea King." He explained.

"Or it could be more Sea Folk, how many more are there Kaemon?" Tatsumaki asked as she looked to the other.

"The only other one who could be here since that hero killed them all earlier would be Lord Great White." They answered.

"So it might not even be the Sea King then." Fubuki noted.

"I'm also detecting other power signatures nearby and from my stored readings they seem to belong to the other members of the House of Evolution." He added.

"The doctor must've sent them here to help!" Mutsuko reasoned.

"Well how about you guys go and see if it's the Sea King while I keep looking around." Saitama suggested.

"Shouldn't someone go with you, just in case?" King asked.

Upon saying that question however everyone gave him a quizzical look to which he sighed.

"Yeah I just now realize how stupid that sounded..." He admitted.

"Alright then I guess we'll go check it out." Tatsumaki agreed as she pointed to him "But if you do find Sea King do NOT kill him before I get a chance to!" She warned before she and the others set off.

Simply giving a nod of his head though he was still unsure as to why she seemed so invested in killing him Saitama continued to venture towards the city on his own.

 ***Back with the others***

" *HUFF* *HUFF* *HUFF* " Puri Puri Prisoner breather as the dirt cloud began to dissipate.

Having given everything he had both Puri Puri Prisoner as well as the others had expected to see a fairly pulverized Sea King either dead on the ground or just barely standing. Unfortunately as the cloud cleared completely they instead saw standing there with his arms in front of him a near pristine Sea King with only a slight discoloartion present on his forearms, as to imply that assault did nothing but lightly bruise him.

"Are you done with your little combo human?" He asked as he began to lower his arms.

Completely stunned at how his attack seemed to be absolutely useless Puri Puri Prisoner now had a new sense of dread fill him.

"Felt that too, just a little." Sea King taunted before retaliating with a bout of blows of his own.

Yet due to the speed at which he sent forth the punch it looked as though almost if by magic he had appeared before Puri Puri Prisoner which caught the others off guard. As for Puri Puri Prisoner he was unable to react as the three swift blows that had been dealt to him took away nearly all of the strength he had causing him to begin falling backwards.

"Hear me." Sea King spoke addressing both Puri Puri Prisoner and the others "The Objective of a combination move is to finish your opponent, each separate attack must be delivered with intent to kill, LIKE THIS!" He shouted before proceeding to unload on the other.

With greater speed and power than what Puri Puri Prisoner had used on him Sea King rapidly punched away at his body causing countless indents to be made in his flesh. As if that weren't enough after but a few seconds of this horrific onslaught Sea King decided to hammer his point in even further by finishing his combo with a powerful kick which sent Puri Puri Prisoner flying straight into the upper floors of a nearby building.

"Isn't this fun?" He asked as he now turned his attention to the others a light rain fall beginning to occur as he did.

Speechless and mortified by his power and speed even Chikara who was the strongest of them all felt himself locked into place unsure as to how he should respond to what he had just seen.

"W-Who are you?" He managed to ask as he knew if he didn't say something it might only anger the other.

"I am the Deep Sea King, as lord of the clan of the sea folk I claim this world as mine to rule." Sea King answered as he gave them a look that lacked any sort of compassion "Do you dare defy me as well? you disgusting abominations?" He asked with a toothy grin.

"W-We are members of the hero's association, as well as The House of Evolution and we were sent here to keep you from killing or hurting anyone!" Bunji answered with bravado though his fear and apprehension were very much so still apparent.

"Ah...gentle rainfall..." Sea King noted as he looked to the sky before looking back to them "Fine then, if you wish to oppose me I'll be more than willing to show you what happens!" He declared as he rushed towards them.

* * *

"We're almost there." Genos informed the others as they continued towards the location of the power readings.

"I hope everyone's okay..." Mutsuko admitted unable to keep the worry she had for the others at bay.

"I'm sure they are Mutsuko." Fubuki assured her "If they're all there and fighting together there should be no problem." She reasoned.

However as they were but only a few blocks away Genos suddenly stopped which caught them by surprise.

"What's up Genos?" King asked.

"The...the power readings..." He began as his eyes were widened with shock "They're...disappearing..." He said causing everyone to adorn a look like his.

"Wait what?! what do you mean disappearing?!" Mutsuko asked as she flew in front of him.

Suddenly though before he could even think of way to respond to her in the least upsetting way an explosion happened close by. And it was right where the others were meant to be.

"No no no no no no NO!" She shouted before she took off like a rocket towards the location.

"Mutsuko wait!" Fubuki called after her as they followed behind her.

Ignoring the call of her friend as fear began to fill her being Mutsuko felt tears beginning to form in her eyes as a gruesome thought came to her mind.

 _"NO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! IT'S JUST SOMETHING STUPID AND COINCIDENTAL! THERE'S NO WAY THEY COULD-"_ She mentally cried only to stop as a horrific sight came into view.

Directly below her on the street where she was hoping with all of her heart to find the others she instead found the street and even the nearby buildings coated with blood and viscera. But the most gut wrenching detail to this scene was what lay in the center which was the beaten and battered bodies of the others all thrown together in a bloodied heap.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She cried out as she dove down towards them.

As for Genos and the rest they too soon came upon the scene a few moments later all of them with the same horrified and shocked expressions on their faces.

"O-Oh my god..." Fubuki muttered as she was at a loss for words.

"Th-They're all..." King began to say but found himself unable to continue.

"They all had strength that could rival S class..." Genos said in disbelief that they all were so easily bested.

As for Kaemon and Tatsumaki however both weren't able to say even a single word for while Kaemon as the sight slowly burned it's way into their memory for Tatsumaki as she saw how distraught and in anguish Mutsuko was felt her already present blood lust for Sea King grow causing her to ball her hands into fists.

"You better hope Saitama finds you first fish stick..." She said as she balled her fists even tighter "Because if II find you, you'll be BEGGING to die." She added.

And so as the rain began to come down at a more rapid rate the cries and tears of Mutsuko were slowly drown out by it's sound.


	27. The Sea King Part 2

_"Ah...gentle rainfall..." Sea King noted as he looked to the sky before looking back to them "Fine then, if you wish to oppose me I'll be more than willing to show you what happens!" He declared as he rushed towards them._

 _Immediately entering defensive stances the House of Evolution readied for his first attack. But before any of them could realize it he was already upon them and the first person he chose to attack was Genjiro._

 _"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed in pain as he was sent flying down the street until he hit a car, the force and power of the blow being enough to actually embed him into it's metal frame._

 _"GENJIRO!" Fujio called out as he looked to his friend._

 _Which would prove to be a mistake as the moment he spoke Sea King delivered an uppercut to his chin which sent him flying into the air before crashing down into the road causing a small crater to form around him. By now of course they were aware of how quickly Sea King was attacking them and as one could imagine Kamakyuri, Atomu, Bunji, and Chikara acted immediately all charging towards him at once._

 _"YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!" They shouted in unison seeking to avenge their fallen comrades._

 _Yet even as they came towards him all ready to strike Sea King simply grinned at their approach before seeming to disappear completely causing their attack to miss. Now unsure as to where he was they all proceeded to stand back to back as to cover all angles._

 _"Suguru!" Bunji called as he looked around the area "Try and track him with your telekinesis!" He suggested._

 _However as a few seconds passed by with no response from the other they all looked towards their group to see if he was there only to find a blood trail which was quickly being washed away by the rain in his place. Following the trail up the street with their gazes they found Suguru caught in the maw of some kind of creature which was coming out of Sea King's mouth._

 _"Oh such a shame~" He mused as the creature bit down causing Suguru's now limp body to fall to the ground "Once my moray eel bites into something it doesn't let go~" He continued to tease absolutely please with himself._

 _Unlike before though instead of vocalizing their hatred towards him the remaining four simply charged at him once more seeking to kill this monster more than anything else in the world. But just like before the moment they closed the distance he disappeared from sight but instead of being gone completely he had instead vanished to deliver a series of blows to each of them, each blow being so powerful it ruptured several organs and broke multiple bones in all of their bodies. Falling to the ground filled with excruciating pain and blood the only one left who was even fully conscious was Chikara as his armored beetle body managed to block most of the damage. Unfortunately before he could even try to muster what strength he had left in order to possibly stand or even crawl a webbed foot entered his view causing him to look upward._

 _And what he saw as he looked to it's owner was not the face of the monster they just saw but one far, FAR worse. Instead of a face resembling that of a human's Sea King's face now looked like that of a lizard or even a dinosaur with rows of sharpened teeth and eyes that resembled a snake's or crocodile'a he now truly looked the part of the monster he was._

 _"The air up here shriveled me up a bit, but this rain has helped me to feel like myself again!" He exclaimed as he leaned over so Chikara and him could be face to face "And the best part of it all is, YOU couldn't even land a single blow! you were worse than that human!" He taunted before erupting into laughter._

 _Feeling rage and unbridled hatred fill his being Chikara began to initiate Carnage Mode only to have himself be picked up by his leg as he was halfway through._

 _"NO MORE TRANSFORMATIONS!" Sea King ordered as he tossed Chikara into a nearby tanker which resulted in a massive explosion._

 _With what little feeling he had left in his body Chikara could feel his flesh and bones being scorched by the flames but given he was at death's door even that horrid of a feeling was incredibly numb. But he still possessed his senses at least in a limited capacity since he could still hear the thunderous footsteps of Sea King approaching him followed by him entering his view._

 _"I've grown tired of you lot." He admitted as he grabbed Chikara by his throat and lifted him "I have humans that I need to kill, so let's finish this up shall we?" He suggested just as he plunged his his remaining fist into the other's abdomen._

 _Never in his life had Chikara known of such pain, such gut wrenching agony, but as Sea King slowly removed his beating heart and showed it to him with what little life he had left he knew now what a monster looked like. And that's when it all went black._

* * *

"WAKE UP CHIKARA!" Mutsuko cried as she hugged his body "WAKE UP ALL OF YOU! YOU HAVE TO GET UP!" She begged as she continued to sob.

Very few minutes had passed since they came upon the horrific sight and yet somehow the rain had changed from a gentle fall into a heaving downpour. But none of them even Tatsumaki cared for the rain and how soaked they were getting as they all found themselves at a loss for words at the sight of their companion breaking down in front of them. And while they wanted nothing more than to console her and try to stop the flood of tears and cries that came from her they all knew that the monster responsible for this was somewhere in the city and they needed to stop him. So being the first to regain himself from the shock Genos walked over to her and knelt beside her placing a hand on her backside as he did.

"Mutsuko." He spoke as to gain her attention "We need to go." He told her.

"NO! I'M NOT LEAVING THEM! WE NEED TO GET THEM BACK TO THE HOUSE! THE DOCTOR WILL HELP THEM!" She shouted as she hugged Chikara's body even tighter.

"I know what it's like to lose a family." He told her as he looked to the bodies "I had to watch my family as well as my entire town be slaughtered and destroyed while I could do nothing about it." He explained.

"THEN YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT I'M FEELING! AND YOU SHOULD BE TRYING TO HELP THEM!" She argued as she now looked at him with a tear filled gaze.

"But you can't help them Mutsuko, they're dead." He told her "If you want to do something about their deaths then please come with us and help us stop the Sea King." He said.

Feeling as though her insides were being torn apart like paper through a shredder Mutsuko looked back to her fallen family unable to keep another wave of tears from shedding.

"O-Okay..." She softly said with a sniffle "B-But we're coming back for them...to take them back...for a funeral..." She told him.

"Of course." He said as he offered her his free hand.

Slowly reaching out and taking his hand Mutsuko with his aid slowly got back to her feet until she was standing upright once more. Feeling but only the smallest bit of relief that their friend was rejoining them the others were about to begin searching for the Sea King once more until King made a horrific discovery.

"Wait...where's Kaemon?!" He asked causing them all to look behind Tatsumaki.

Sure enough where Kaemon was supposed to be standing they no longer were causing all of their eyes to widen.

"Where did they go?!" Fubuki asked as she looked around but due to the rain if there had been any kind of trail they could've followed it was already washed away.

However before they could call out their now missing member or even begin to search for them Tatsumaki without warning took off into the skies with her ESP and flew off towards the city.

"Tatsumaki!" Her sister called for her even though she knew there was no way the other could hear her.

 _"Things just keep getting worse..."_ King though to himself _"If only Saitama was here..."_ He added.

* * *

If anyone were around to see them they would think a shadow had just come to life and was running through the rain. But as Kaemon continued to run through the city unsure as to where they were going really they had countless thoughts racing through their minds.

 _"This is all MY fault!"_ They mentally shouted as they shut their eyes _"If I had never shot my mouth off, if I never told them I was gonna come up here, then he wouldn't be here now doing all of this!"_ They continued.

Reaching the end of a street Kaemon still unsure as to where they were actually going or where they were simply chose to go left and continue running.

 _"I have to find Saitama, he'll put an end to this, and when he does...I'll go back to the ocean where I belong..."_ They decided.

But as that decision began to set in their mind they had the few but immensely treasured memories from the previous day flash through their thoughts. From Saitama's invitation to live with him to Tatsumaki's shopping trip even though there weren't many memories to look back on that one day they had spent with them was the best day of their whole life. Which is why as they continued to think about the day before they eventually stopped running and fell to their knees in the street clutching their chest as they did.

"Why is this hurting so much?!" They questioned as they tightened their grip "SEA FOLK AREN'T SUPPOSED TO FEEL ANYTHING!" They shouted.

It was then in that moment even with the swirling emotions going on within them that Kaemon was able to feel something that they were all too familiar with. Looking off to the side down a pitch black alleyway they couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched. But before they could move or say anything a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared within the darkness causing them to only feel one emotion now, which was unbridled fear.

"You're right kelp..." Sea King's voice spoke as a tooth filled grinned appeared below the eyes "Sea Folk feel nothing, not even pain." He said with a few cackles.

But there would be no scream, no blood, not a single sound to be heard and the only proof that anyone or thing had been within that street should one be looking would be a torn shirt which could only fit the frame of a child.

* * *

"Ugh, of all the times to hit a red light!" Mumen Rider exclaimed with slight frustration as even with the city being vacant of any life he still sought to obey traffic laws.

If there were any people still around to see him on his bike in the middle of this rain they would think "Why of all heroes is he here? he's only C class after all.", and while they would be right in that regard they would not be seeing him for the hero he was but rather the hero he was labeled as. For no matter the threat or the scope of the danger that lay before him the Bicyclist For Justice would always be there to help in any way that he was able. But of course in this vast world of ours he was not the only hero who felt this way, who had such an unyielding sense of righteousness and courage. Which is exactly why as he heard someone walking next to him her turned to see who it might be only to find the one person he would have never expected to see.

"Huh?" He sounded as he wasn't sure if what he was actually seeing was real.

"Man where could this Sea guy be?" Saitama asked aloud as he looked around "You'd think it'd be a lot easier to find a giant fish person." He noted as he looked to his right.

However as he did so he saw instead of a hulking monster a person on a bike though due to their attire he assumed that they might be some kind of hero like him.

"You're...One Punch Man right?" Mumen Rider asked wanting to be absolutely certain this wasn't some kind of cosplaying fan or case of mistaken identity.

"That's right." Saitama confirmed "You're a hero too right? you haven't see the fish dude or my friends have you?" He asked.

"Your friends? oh you mean other S class right?" Mumen Rider replied with his own question.

"Yeah pretty much." Saitama said.

"Well if you'd like I could give you a lift and while we look for the monster we can search for your friends too." Mumen Rider offered causing Saitama to smile.

"Oh wow thanks." He said as he walked over "You're sure this isn't a problem?" He asked receiving a nod in response.

"Course not I'm happy to help." Mumen Rider assured just as the light turned green.

And so with Saitama now sitting right behind him Mumen Rider began to pedal once more.

* * *

As the storm continued to rage on somehow bringing with it even more rain our group of heroes which was now missing three of it's members continued on in their search for not only the Sea King but also their comrades.

"Why would she just take off like that?!" Fubuki asked mainly to herself as she tried to make sense of her sister's reckless action "Now we have to find her, Saitama, AND Kaemon!" She added.

"I haven't really been able to get to know your sister all too well Fubuki." King admitted "But in the short time I have seen the real her it seems like she has trouble with her emotions, so when she feels them she simply let's them take reign." He said.

"Believe me I know that better than anyone King." She assured him "But even so the situation's already bad she didn't have to go and make it worse!" She argued.

However before their conversation could continue Genos who had been leading them in their search stopped suddenly causing them to go on immediate alarm.

"What is it Genos?" King asked as he looked around them though due to the rain and the darkness it'd be near impossible to spot anything lurking about.

"I'm detecting the Sea King's power level It's towards the center of the city." He answered.

"Then let's go!" Mutsuko exclaimed with hate as she readied her claws for battle.

"That's not the only thing I'm getting however." He told her which caught them off guard.

"What do you mean?" Fubuki asked.

"I'm also detecting multiple life signals nearby...and with so many..." He began to wonder only to reach the same conclusion the others did, causing them all to say it in unison.

"THE EVACUATION SHELTER!" They shouted.

With this sudden realization now made apparent they with as much speed and haste as they were able to must began heading towards the shelter hoping that they could get there in time.

* * *

A sea of voices filled the air within the large dome shaped building that was the city's evacuation center, as all the residents of City J who were able to make it there of course chatted among themselves.

"Daddy are all those scary monsters still outside?" A young child asked his father as he looked up towards him.

"Now don't you worry about a thing, as long as we're in this shelter we're safe and sound, besides if it comes right down to it I'm sure all of us together could could beat a monster or two." He assured his son.

However unknown to them and the others just outside of the building only a few feet away was the very monster they all sought to hide from staring intently at the structure.

"I sense them...yes so many...it's coming from...over there!" Sea King exclaimed with hunger in his eyes before he leapt high into the air and crashed down onto the building.

Screams and shouts of all kinds soon took place of the chatter within the dome as the wall like it were nothing was smashed to pieces by Sea King. Now standing before them with the rain at his back Sea King cast in shadow from his mere size alone loomed over them finding it somewhat difficult to keep from going at them like a rabid barracuda.

"What do we have here? greetings and goodbye." He said to them with a wicked tooth filled grin.

Terrified beyond belief the civilians began to back away slowly near of the verge of scattering like a spooked pack of gazelle as they knew their demise was surely upon them.

"P-Please wait!" A voice in the crowd called out followed by a hand being raised.

The owner of the hand and the voice was a man with somewhat shaggy blonde hair and brown eyes, as for attire he was fairly plain except for the somewhat rustic looking leather jacket he wore.

"We surrender we surrender! we will happily comply with any demands that you might have, but do not attack us I beg you please!" He pleaded as sweat began to fall down his face _"I'm only a Class C so I evacuated now I'm trapped...I'm no hero...I'm a failure..."_ He thought as he raised his other arm in the air as well.

"Surrender?" Sea King questioned followed by a few chuckles "I've come to kill you! your deaths are inevitable! and as for my demands? how about this? I demand that you scream nicely as I slaughter you!" He exclaimed.

 _"I can't win, I know it's not much, but all I can do is buy time for the class S heroes to get here, I mean look at this monster! who am I kidding?!"_ He wondered as Sea King began to laugh at their petrified faces of horror _"It's pointless, I can't buy time just by talking to him!"_ He realized only to gasp in shock _"I pissed my pants...I'm pathetic..."_ He admitted as he began to lower his hands.

"HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAH! I'LL FIGHT WITH YOU!" Someone shouted before two men leapt out in front of him, one wearing pretty standard training attire and possessing an afro, whilst the other seemed like he might be a cyborg due to his robotic appearance.

 _"Heroes! there are others in here too?!"_ He wondered just as a third and far more notable face walked in front of them.

"I might be the lowest ranking at thirty eight, but I'm still a class A hero, we can do this!" Class A rank thirty eight Biting Snake Fist declared as he got into a martial arts stance.

"Uh that's right I'm a hero too! Allback man is ready!" The man quickly introduced as he now felt inspired to take action as well.

"Heroes?" "The heroes are here to save us!" "Heroes rock!" "Go get'em yeah!" Were few of the many things the others around them began to say at this sudden turn of events.

"Class A? Man I'm glad you're here!" The cyborg said as he readied his fists in front of him.

"Happy to help." Biting Snake Fist replied.

 _"Two class Cs, one class B, and one class A...we can do it...we can win!"_ Allback man thought as he readied himself even though he was still unbelievably terrified.

In response to all that had just transpired Sea King unlike the other humans didn't say a single word but instead gave off a sort of sound that was like a growl and a hiss combined as he no longer could resist sating his hunger.

* * *

"You sure this is the way?" Saitama asked as he looked around them.

They had been pedaling through the city for a few minutes now and there were still no signs of either the Sea King or the others.

"Yes, since local residents are fleeing from this direction, we'll find monsters further up." Mumen Rider assured.

However as they continued on Saitama as he was looking down other streets and alleyways saw something lying in one, and even though it was a bit hard to tell from the rain and lack of light for some reason it seemed as though whatever it was he'd seen it before.

"Hold up." He told the other causing him to stop.

"What's wrong? did you see something?" He asked.

"Yeah I did." Saitama replied as he hopped off the bike "I'll go check it out you go on without me." He told him as he ran off towards the object.

"Right got it!" Mumen Rider said as he prepared to set off.

But just as he was about to his cellphone began to ring and knowing well that it was the association he wasted not a second in answering.

"Mumen Rider here." He said as he put the phone to his ear "Yes sir, correct we are on our way there now." He informed the person on the other end "W-What?! did you say the shelter?! it was the other way!" He exclaimed as he with great haste turned his bike around and took off.

Unfortunately in his haste Mumen Rider neglected the fact he had dropped his cellphone in the street, so he of course was unable to hear it ring once more as whoever it was he had been speaking to tried to call him back. Meanwhile as he sped off towards the shelter Saitama had reached the object that had caught his eye and when he did he stopped in his tracks. For the object that only managed to get his attention for it's somewhat familiarity was in fact the shirt Kaemon had been wearing earlier though besides the lack of it's owner it was also nearly shredded to pieces. Picking up the tattered remains of the shirt a crack of lightning suddenly illuminated the sky above and while there was no around to see the expression he had on his face if there had been they would have seen a look that could only be described in a single word.

Death.


	28. The Sea King Finale

"Mumen Rider went in there?!" Bespectacled worker asked as he looked at the console.

Immediately after the aforementioned hero had ended the call Bearded worker tried to reach him again, to hopefully make him realize there was no point to him going as it would only result in his death.

"Yes, I couldn't stop hi-" Bearded worker began to respond only to stop as his call had finally gone through "Hello? Mumen Rider! what's your location?!" He asked as he put a hand to his headset "This is beyond what you can handle, the monster even took out a class S hero! we need to assemble a subjugation squad and fast!" He explained.

There was a small period of silence on both ends of the call afterwards and just as Bearded worker was about to repeat himself a response came, and the voice they heard sent chills down both their spines.

"Tell me where he is, NOW." The voice of Saitama demanded in a tone so serious and even menacing that both men were actually taken aback by it, as they had never heard him speak in such a way.

Though they were of course confused as to why One Punch Man of all heroes was answering Mumen Rider's phone given how he was speaking they knew it would not be wise to say anything other than what he wanted to hear.

"H-He's at the city's evacuation shelter, just south of your position." Bearded worker replied.

Having obtained the information he needed Saitama ended the call leaving the two men to talk among themselves as to what they had just experienced.

"That...was One Punch Man right?" Bearded worker asked as he looked to his associate.

"Yes, but he sounded so void of life and emotion..." He replied.

* * *

Laughter filled the space of the evacuation shelter but it came not from the heroes nor of the people instead it came from The Deep Sea King as he now stood over the fallen forms of his foes.

"Ha ha ha ha!" He bellowed as he moved his gaze to the crowd of onlookers "Now, why so quiet all a sudden?" He questioned as his grin returned.

However just as he was about to proceed with slaughtering them all the sound of something beating against the rain caught his attention, as it was coming from outside and was heading his way.

"Hm?" He sounded as he looked over his shoulder through the massive opening he left in the wall.

But before he could see what was coming for him Sea King was struck across the face with multiple slash marks causing him to reel back in pain.

"GAH!" He sounded as he placed a hand to the wounds.

Shocked and stunned by what had just happened the civilians looked above them and found none other than Mutsuko flying in the air with the Sea King's blue blood dripping from her claws.

"That was only the first taste of what I'm going to do to you, YOU BASTARD!" She cried out as with great speed she flew towards him once more.

Readying to deal yet another gruesome wound to her foe just as she was right in front of him he turned to look at her which revealed two things. The first was that in just the few seconds since she had attacked the wounds had healed completely leaving not even a single scar. And as for the second, it was revealed that the Sea King even with most of his tricks and trades having been displayed already he still had one more thing to show, which was he could produce acid from his mouth. Unfortunately this revelation only came as when she was upon him to attack he whilst looking to her spat a ball of the acidic compound directly onto her causing her to stop.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH GOD IT BURNS!" She screamed as with unfounded haste the acid was eating away at her flesh and bones.

Sadly her pain would soon only worsen as the Sea King reached out to grab her and once he held her within his hand he used the other to grab her legs and tear her in two.

"INSOLENT BUG!" He shouted as he threw her upper half across the room and into the wall.

Having but only a little life left in her Mutsuko, even as her entrails and blood began to fall from her torso weakly looked up to Sea King who by using his great speed now stood before her. Feeling anger course through what remained of her form Mutsuko cursed herself beneath her breath at how she wasn't able to avenge her fallen kin and now would soon be joining them. But just as Sea King raised his hand into the air and readied to bring it down atop of her a sudden blast of heat struck him from behind.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" He screamed in pain as it scorched away his cape and burned his backside "WHAT NOW?!" He questioned as he looked back to the opening.

Standing there within the massive hole in the wall were three humans though the one that caught his eye the most was the one standing in the middle, as he was the one with smoke coming from his hand revealing he was the one who had shot him.

"Mutsuko!" Fubuki called before she clasped a hand over her mouth "Oh my god..." She said shocked that in the few seconds they had been apart so much had been done to her.

Unfortunately for Fubuki and the others they would not have long to react to their injured friend as Sea King growing quite tiresome of these interruptions ran towards them seeking to be rid of them as swiftly as possible. But instead of waiting for him to reach them Genos instead blasted off towards him and with a roundhouse kick clashed with him in the center of the room causing a small shock wave to be sent out as the other blocked it with his arm.

"You're going to pay for this." Genos told him as he increased the thrust power of his leg.

"You humans truly are pests, no matter how many of you I kill more keep coming!" Sea King replied as with a strong movement of his arm he broke their standoff.

Yet instead of Genos following up with another attack the moment he was clear from Sea King Fubuki proceeded to launch debris from the destroyed wall at him, making sure to try and aim each piece so that it might either pierce his flesh or do considerably more damage. Not even so much as phased by the objects being flung at him as he considered them to be nothing but pebbles Sea King with ease swatted and destroyed each object that reached him slowly continuing his approach. But amidst the seemingly endless barrage of debris King took charge towards him hoping he would go unnoticed long enough to close the distance.

 _"I'm still not that strong, but I have gotten stronger, so maybe I can actually be of some use!"_ He hoped as the moment he was upon the Sea King he threw a punch forward aimed at the other's gut.

Unfortunately for King while his punch was by no means weak and the Sea King did feel it, it didn't so much as scratch his skin. Thankfully before Sea King could react and attack King Genos flew towards their foe's face and with as much strength as he was able to muster delivered a kick to his cheek which actually managed to send him flying into another wall. Falling to the ground beside him Genos, King, and Fubuki all took a moment to breath all the while hoping that their attack had done at least SOMETHING worthwhile to their opponent. But as the seconds passed soon Sea King rose up from his place in the wall and while his cheek now had a hole in it he still cast them a look which read nothing but pure hatred.

"You insolent little worms." He spat as the wound healed within seconds "YOU ARE GOING TO DIE ON THIS DAY!" He shouted as he charged fourth once more.

Readying themselves for another battle just as Genos like before flew forward to meet their attacker the Sea King suddenly cast one of his toothy grins before looking off to the side. Unsure as to what he was doing the trio felt their eyes widen in shock as he swung his arm towards the crowd of people who during this entire bout had decided to remain and watch instead of flee for their lives. Knowing well he wouldn't be able to attack him AND keep him from hurting the civilians at once Genos decided to leave the offense to the others as he moved to where Sea King's attack would land and catch it with his arms. But alas this was what Sea King planned for as the moment Genos stopped his attack he reeled back his head before spitting out another ball of acid, and because he had put all of his focus on blocking the first attack Genos was unable to dodge this one.

Time then seemed to slow as the acid splashed against his form and while the crowd as well as King and Fubuki had looks of shock adorn their faces Sea King instead had one of satisfaction. Just as it had done to Mutsuko the acid worked horrifically fast resulting in nearly every part of his torso and even some parts of his head to be dissolved. But since he was mostly machine instead of flesh the damage was far worse as after a few seconds his arms fell off and to the floor. Feeling little to nothing as Mutsuko had Genos could do nothing but stand there in horror and agony.

"G-Genos..." Both King and Fubuki muttered completely at a loss for words at how little of their friend remained.

Feeling his present smile slowly turn into his trademark grin Sea King grabbed a hold of Genos's head before tossing him at Mutsuko causing them both to fly out from the building on a slab of the wall itself. Still in a state of shock and horror neither King nor Fubuki were able to react as Sea King ran to them and with one swift kick sent both of them flying out of the building as well and into the rain. Hitting the soaked concrete of the road as hard as one could imagine both of their bodies screamed out in pain to the point where it was near impossible to keep their eyes open. Feeling his satisfaction grow more and more Sea King returned his focus to the terrified people before him holding his arms out as he did.

"Are there any MORE who wish to challenge me?!" He demanded to know not seeking to be caught off guard a third time in a row.

Yet just as before instead of receiving a vocal response Sea King was suddenly lifted into the air for a slight moment before being thrown into the ceiling. Completely stunned as to what was happening he was soon thrust back down to the ground and was now face to face with the one responsible for this strange occurrence.

"You are dead fish breath." Tatsumaki said in a cold and heartless tone the likes of which only a serial killer could rival.

But before Sea King could come up with something to say in reply Tatsumaki threw him once more into the air only this time through the ceiling and into the sky. Following through the hole she had made she proceeded to thrash Sea King about in the air seeming to attack him with just her psionic energy. Grunting and even screaming a small bit as blow after blow was dealt to him, within the time span of just a few seconds he had been struck near a thousand times resulting in countless bruises to adorn his form. Yet even as she continued her assault Tatsumaki began to send him higher and higher into the sky and just as he was nearing the top of the clouds she suddenly sent him downward towards the earth like a meteor.

And because of both the speed and power used to send him downward in addition to his already acquired wounds Sea King was also set aflame as if he were coming down from the atmosphere instead of just the sky.

"Time to die." She stated as she balled her hands into fists.

Just as he was about to make contact with the ground the concrete below suddenly changed into large jagged spikes causing his descent to end with him being impaled. Looking down to his now mangled form Tatsumaki slowly descended towards him crossing her arms as she did.

"Whose the weakling now?" She asked as she reached him.

However as it seemed as though he had finally met his match and was now deceased the moment Tatsumaki was but only a few feet away from him something shot out from his mouth and attached itself to her arm. But before she could react or even see what it was the moment it had made contact it pulled her towards him and with no issue at all Sea King pulled his right arm from the spikes and delivered a punch to her face. Due to his strength which should not even been present given his wounds Tatsumaki flew from him and into the shelter. Completely shocked that she had somehow been taken off guard just as she was about to free herself from the wall and continue to finish him off his hand suddenly wrapped itself around her throat causing her to look towards him.

"Thank you for bringing me back out here to the rain~" He mused as he placed his free hand to his chest "I was starting to shrivel up again but because of you that is no longer a concern." He said as he tightened his grip "So allow me now to show you how much I APPRECIATE IT!" He shouted as he ripped her from the wall and sent her to the ground.

Not allowing her even a second to react Sea King proceeded to unleash a torrent of blows with speed that almost matched the rate in which she had attacked him. Blow for blow for blow he continued to assault her and while after the first few she had tried to erect a psychic barrier to protect herself due to her already somewhat dazed and injured state it didn't last long. So now she was forced to simply lie here and receive this beating unable to stop him from no doubt killing her by the same means.

"JUSTICE CRASH!" A voice suddenly shouted as a bicycle flew through the air and hit the Sea King's backside.

Ceasing in his attack against her Sea King slowly looked over his shoulder to see who had the audacity of interrupting him for the fourth time in a row. And to no surprise standing there with his arms raised in front of him was another human only this one was dressed up in the most amusing attire he had seen from any of them yet.

"This is just getting ridiculous..." Sea King said as he rose to his feet.

Watching as the other rose from the ground Mumen Rider wasting no time at all rushed towards his opponent with a fist reared back and ready to attack. Sadly instead of landing his punch as he had intended he was instead grabbed by the other only to then be thrashed on the ground as if he were a toy of some kind. Unfortunately his humility would only worsen as after but a few seconds of thrashing his costume's sleeve would tear resulting in him flying off to the side. Watching as he landed on the ground a bit of relief came to Sea King as he was able to refocus his attention back to the other human.

"Apologies." He said as he turned back to her "I nearly forgot to kill you." He said as he prepared to continue punching her.

"Justice, TACKLE!" Mumen Rider shouted as he ran back to Sea King and grabbed him by the waist.

Looking down at the human who he was certain had been dealt with Sea King could not keep a look of irritation and disgust from coming to his face as he was forced to send this human away from him once more, this time with a punch. Returned to the ground he had just gotten up from Mumen Rider even as every fiber of his being told him to stay down did his best to prop himself up on his forearms to hopefully then get back to his feet.

"No one expects much...not from me..." He began as blood started to fall from his head and to the ground "They think a class C hero won't be much help...I know that better than anyone!" He grunted as he continued in his effort to stand "I'm too weak for class B...I'm not good enough...I know that much..." He went on as he got to his knees "I'm aware I have no chance of beating you...no one needs to tell me...ANYTHING LIKE THAT!" He shouted in frustration.

"What're you babbling on and on about? BEGGING for you life?" Sea King asked as he stared down at the other.

"And yet...I must try...It's not about winning or losing, It's about me taking you on right here and right now!" Mumen Rider shouted as he got to his feet and even managed to take a few steps forward.

Feeling tears come to their eyes the residents of City J who still watched on from inside the shelter were moved and touched by the words of their hero. But they were not the only ones who heard his emotional cry for Fubuki, King, Genos, and even Tatsumaki who were still somewhat conscious also felt inspired, causing them to try their hardest to get back to their feet but to no avail.

"Enough of your rambling, time to finish you off!" Sea King declared as this human for some reason seemed to be the most persistent one as of yet.

Upon gaining the other's full attention once again Mumen Rider readied himself as best he could in his state for another attack, though given his injuries he more than likely would fall at any second.

"You can do it!" The voice of a young boy called from the shelter gaining his attention "Mumen Rider, you can do it! you're the cyclist of the justice, you can beat him!" The boy cheered on in support.

And it seemed as though this boy's cry was but only a spark as after his cheer had been spoken the other citizens began to cheer as well.

"He's right, get him!" "Yeah do it!" "We're all counting on you Mumen Rider!" Were but a few that could be made out from the thunderous shouts that came from the crowd.

Feeling a sudden surge of strength and will wash over him just as the rain was Mumen Rider reared back his fists once more letting out a warrior's yell as he did before he took off towards the other ready to give it his all. And if this were some sort of fable or children's book the encounter would have ended with him being the victor, but this is not some story written with a good ending in mind as in reality he made it not even a foot's distance to Sea King before he was sent flying for a third time by an uppercut. For the second time time itself seemed to slow as the last hope the people had to be saved sailed through the air and towards the ground just like the others. Yet as he continued to fall towards the ground and everyone expected to see him land harshly he instead was caught before that could happened by the one person none of them were expecting.

"Nice fight man, you should be proud." Saitama told him with a small smile before he began to set him down to the ground as gently as he could.

Watching in silence as he set Mumen Rider to the ground it was only a second or so more before they all erupted in another cheer though this one was much more joyous and ecstatic.

"OH HELL YEAH IT'S ONE PUNCH MAN!" "OF COURSE HE WOULD COME TO SAVE US!" "YOU BETTER BE GOOD AT KISSING ASS FISH MAN!" Were just a few of the things they began to say as all fear and worry left their being.

But before they could say even more things in either celebration or to taunt Sea King once Saitama was certain Mumen Rider would be fine without his attention he stood back up and looked towards Sea King. And what both Sea King as well as the crowd saw caused them all to look to him with stunned expressions.

"H-Holy shit..." Was the only thing to be said from the crowd this time around and by one person nonetheless as instead of seeing the normally relaxed and carefree expression of their hero they instead saw a look so intense and so absent of any kind of emotion that even the devil himself would be shaking in fear.

"You." Saitama spoke as he had his gaze focus solely on Sea King "Where. Is. Kaemon?" He asked.

Unsure as to who he was referring to after giving it a bit of thought Sea King figured there could only be ONE person he was referring to, which caused him to grin.

"Oh, you mean the worthless little wad of kelp?" He questioned as he removed his crown from his head "Here, why don't you see for yourself?" He asked as he reached in and pulled something out.

Feeling his eyes widen as well as his hands balling as tightly as they could into fists a part of Saitama was trying it's best convince him he was not seeing what was right before him. But no matter how much he wanted to deny it nor how badly he wanted it to be a lie due to the few drops of blue blood that fell from the neck there was no mistaking that the severed head of Kaemon that Sea King held in his grasp was in fact real.

"I can't BELIEVE you actually gave this worthless excuse for a sea folk a name." Sea King admitted as he held it up to his face "I mean the only thing it was even good for was being a source of food to the rest of us~" He mused with a slight laugh.

.

.

.

Silence, that was what took hold of the air for the moment Sea King's cackling reached Saitama's ears, he rushed forward and delivered an uppercut like none had ever seen before. First there was the shock wave the punch created which was so powerful it began to tear Sea King's flesh from the muscle before the punch itself even connected. Then once the punch had landed Sea King in an almost stop motion like fashion lost his muscles, his organs, and then his bones very similar to how a piece of paper would burn in a fire. Finally there was the shock wave once again that continued to go upward until it reached the sky where upon doing so it cleared out the clouds for seemingly hundreds of miles around bringing back both the sun and a clear blue sky.

As for Kaemon's head however luckily it hadn't been hit by the punch and instead of being destroyed it was dropped to the ground once Sea King's body had been dealt away with. But as a few seconds past by and no sound was heard at all Saitama knelt down as to pick up Kaemon's head where he made a discovery which made him sick to his stomach. Frozen on Kaemon's face was a look of utter horror an anguish meaning that they had little to no time to react before Sea King killed them. And while the very sight alone of Kaemon's severed head was enough to ignite the emotions Saitama rarely ever felt it was this expression that did the unthinkable.

For the first time anyone could ever recall Saitama shed a tear which rolled down his face before landing on his glove.


	29. The Sea King Aftermath

"Everyone is fine." Dr. Genus stated as he stared at a clipboard.

After the association and the House of Evolution had made their initial agreement to work side by side beyond sharing all data between them other privileges were given to both sides from the other as well. For Doctor Genus and his research he would have every bit of access to the association's records, data, and so on just like Metal Knight AKA Doctor Bofoi among a few other restricted goodies. As for the association Doctor Genus agreed to offer his technology and medicine which was more advanced than any other medicinal treatment and equipment in the entire world to both employees AND heroes. This of course included his cloning technology which, while not as simple and lacking of science as it is commonly depicted within the media was still a means to ensure should anyone affiliated with the association suffer horrific wounds they could be patched up like it were nothing.

Such is the case for Saitama and friends (though he of course had not a scuff mark on him) for once The Deep Sea King had been dealt with the association sent out helicopters to lift all who were injured to the House of Evolution for treatment.

"But what about Kaemon? and Mutsuko? and the others who were killed?" Saitama asked.

"Disregarding the fact I am the ONLY person with cloning technology you do realize **I** made them right? every bit of their genetic material is stored, so should any of them suffer mass injury like they have today me and my clones can fix them within a few minutes." Dr. Genus explained "As for the other one, Kaemon was it? they actually weren't dead to begin with." He revealed.

"Wait what?!" Saitama asked.

"You see unlike the other creatures who came from the ocean Kaemon wasn't an evolved organic creature." Dr. Genus began as he turned his clipboard around to show Saitama a chart graphing the process of evolution "All of the other Sea Folk started off as regular animals who over time continued to evolve both physically and mentally." He continued before pulling up the page to reveal another chart though this one was a detailed summary of Kaemon "Your friend after taking a sample from their head revealed to be entirely plant based, with the substance that was previously thought to be blood actually being a naturally produced source of food." He revealed as he let go of the pages and turned the clipboard back around "All in all what I'm saying is your friend while very much so still able to die is not reliant on a heart, a brain, or any kind of internal organs, if they are to ever TRULY be killed then someone would have to ensure every last bit of them was destroyed for if anything remained they could grow back with enough water and sunlight." He concluded.

"So they're going to be okay then?" Saitama asked receiving a nod in confirmation.

"They don't have too much back yet mainly just their upper torso and arms, but the hands have yet to fully develop." Dr. Genus answered "And while I know this has been a very tiring day for all of us One Punch Man I would like to ask of you a favor." He admitted.

"Oh?" Saitama sounded.

"While I do not feel there is a need to do so for you as you have proven to be near impossible to injure, let alone kill, I would like to have your consent in taking and storing some of your friends genetic material as well." Dr. Genus explained.

"You mean you want to clone them?" Saitama asked receiving a rapid shake of the head in response.

"No no no no! of course not! But should something like this or even something worse ever happen if we had their exact genetic material recorded and stored we could clone any parts they might need, such as a set of lungs, a heart, or even a brain with no strange after effects that are commonly seen in movies and TV shows." Dr. genus elaborated.

"So they wouldn't wake up and question their existence as the original right?" Saitama asked just to be certain.

"No, this is science, not fiction." Dr. Genus assured him.

Taking a moment to think about his proposition as it was a VERY huge one Saitama soon came to the conclusion that even if he were to agree to such a thing even it was for the right reasons, this was something that they each had the right to decide on their own and NOT have someone decide for them.

"I can't speak for them." He replied "This is the kinda thing they should decide and not me." He added.

"I understand." Dr. Genus said "But what about Kaemon? they from our analysis are only seven years old, looking past their clear heightened intelligence to that of a human child of the same age they still are not able to make the decision themselves, so it falls onto their guardian or parental figure." He explained.

"Hmm...well...I've not really considered myself their parent or guardian...but if they can't make it themselves...then yeah you can." Saitama replied giving his approval.

"Excellent, I'll inform the clones treating him." Dr. Genus said as he wrote something down "Oh one more thing, the man responsible for making Genos a cyborg arrived not too long ago, he says he wants to speak with you." He added.

"Wait seriously?" Saitama asked.

"Yes, it seems as though once Genos became a hero he listed him as his emergency contact, so when he was brought here for treatment they contacted him and he told us to not even touch him until he arrived." Dr. Genus explained as he pointed down the hall "Keep walking until you reach the fourth door to your right that's where he's working on Genos." He directed.

Simply replying with a nod to end their conversation Saitama turned and walked down the hall, all the while being relieved that his friends were going to be okay. Soon enough after but a minute or so of walking he reached the fourth door on the right where before he even opened it a slight bit he could hear the sounds of machinery at work. Obviously curious as to what was going on he proceeded to open the door without knocking and while the sight that met him was a tad bit shocking at the same time it was actually pretty cool. The room itself was filled with all kinds of machines and devices along with several trays that had multiple tools scattered across them.

As for the most astounding detail to this sight it consisted of both Genos, who laid on a surgical table in a sort of Frankenstein esque way, and an elderly man dressed in a lab coat, though admittedly the most interesting thing about him was his haircut which resembled a bowl cut only ten times bigger.

"Um excuse me?" He spoke causing the man to stop what he was doing "You want to talk to me?" He added.

Turning around to face him the man had a small smile come to his face as he realized who his visitor was.

"Ah One Punch Man." He greeted "Please come in, forgive the mess." He apologized as he dusted himself off.

With confirmation that he was welcome into the space Saitama entered the room closing the door behind him as he did.

"I am Doctor Kuseno, but you can just call me Kuseno." The man introduced as he held out his hand.

"Well if that's the case just call me Saitama then, my hero name's kinda just for publicity and stuff." Saitama replied as he shook the other's hand.

"Oh really? but I could've sworn Doctor Genus called you One Punch Man?" Kuseno asked.

"Yeah well every time I meet him I forget to correct him, but by the time I remember he's already said a bunch of stuff about his research and genetics and I just kinda hold off till next time." Saitama admitted causing the other to laugh.

"I see, you're every bit as Genos described you." Kuseno admitted as he ended their handshake before walking back over to Genos.

"He talks about me?" Saitama asked as he followed the other to the table.

"Oh yes, in great detail too, why I'd go so far as to say he praises and brags about you." Kuseno answered as he returned to his work.

"Huh, he never acts that way around me." Saitama admitted.

"Well that's because he doesn't want to annoy you." Kuseno replied "He knows how hard your life is, dealing with fans and reporters already giving you more praise than any one person knows what to do with, so he doesn't want to burden you with even so much as a compliment." He explained.

Looking to his unconscious friend Saitama couldn't help but feel immense gratitude towards Genos for trying to act normal around him. Speaking of Genos as Saitama now was right next to him he noticed how there didn't seem to be any trace of damage, in fact he looked the exact same as he did a few hours ago!

"Surprised by how quick I work eh?" Kuseno asked "I might be old, but make no mistake I'm quite nimble." He joked as he continued to work.

Typing but a few more things into a keyboard Kuseno then pressed enter which resulted in a glow to start emanating from Genos's chest.

"He'll still be out for a while, his core has to charge after all." He explained before turning to look at Saitama "Now about the reason behind why I wished to speak with you." He said getting to the reason for Saitama being there at all "You see, the moment I gave Genos this new body of his I knew he'd want to seek out the rogue cyborg that destroyed his town and changed his life forever, and while I also knew this would lead to him getting in over his head I always feared he might one day get into a mess that he wouldn't be able to get out of." He explained as he put his hands behind his back "But then he met you Saitama, and ever since then he's changed for the better, far less hot headed and gun ho and more thoughtful and careful, all in all what I'm saying is you've been more than just a friend to him, you've been one hell of a mentor." He praised with a smile "So thank you Saitama, for keeping him safe and alive." He finished with a slight bow of his head.

A bit taken aback at the immense amount of gratitude the other had given him Saitama found himself smiling as well at how genuine and nice the good doctor was.

"Hey it's nothing, Genos is a good guy and as long as he doesn't become some kind of crazed stalker fan then he's always welcome at my place." He replied which brought out another bit of laughter from the other.

"Don't worry, Genos might be a lot of things but a crazed stalker isn't one of them." Kuseno assured as he turned back to the console "I still have a bit of work left to do here, but thank you for coming by and allowing me to say what I had to say." He said.

"Don't mention it." Saitama said with a small wave before he proceeded to take his leave.

Walking out of the workshop and back into the hallway once the door closed behind him Saitama considered what he should do next.

"Hmm...guess I'll go home, not like I can do much here anyways." He decided as he started walking "Besides everyone needs their rest, I mean how're they gonna come visit me all the time if they don't?" He asked himself as he continued on his way.


	30. Filler Punch Seven

"Talk about a heart pounding day huh? between those horrid monsters appearing in City J to Sweet Mask being here on the show it has just been nonstop excitement!" The host of a talk show exclaimed before the TV was promptly turned off.

A few hours had past since Saitama had gone home, and as the sun began to set over the city casting it's glorious orange glow as it did, it seemed as though that there would be nothing left to worry about for the remainder of the day. That is unless you were Saitama, as the moment he had gotten back home something that had been on his mind ever since he killed The Deep Sea King refused to go away.

 _"Why is this bothering me so much?, I mean I used to cry a lot before I became a hero...okay not a LOT but as much as a normal guy was expected to..."_ He thought as he laid down on his floor to stare at the ceiling _"So why am I so weirded out about shedding a SINGLE tear earlier? is it because I barely feel anything anymore?...actually..."_ He paused as a theory was coming to mind _"Maybe that IS why it's getting to me, I used to feel things all the time but now that I barely feel anything any time I actually do feel something it's strange..."_ He pondered before releasing a sigh "Whatever, I've had a long day I really don't feel like having any deep thoughts." He admitted as he got to his feet.

Walking from his living room to his kitchen Saitama was about to open his fridge and start cooking but stopped as he heard a knock at his door.

"Who could that be?" He asked aloud as everyone he knew was busy being treated back at the House of Evolution.

Walking over to his door and opening it he was stunned to see who was standing on the other side. Standing there which wasn't really accurate but it was the only real way to describe what they were doing was Kaemon, though as said they weren't actually standing as they were STILL missing their lower half and were only able to "stand" thanks to their seaweed hair.

"Kaemon?!" He questioned "What the hell are you doing here?!" He added.

But instead of getting an answer to his question he would instead receive a hug from the other where even in their current state they managed to make the hug fairly tight.

"THANK YOU SAITAMA!" They cried out as they buried their face in his chest "THANK YOU!" They repeated unable to keep a flood of overjoyed tears from escaping them.

Being able to somewhat imagine what the relief of having your worst fear be dealt with for good Saitama simply smiled and patted the other on their head.

"It's no problem Kaemon, really." He assured.

Letting them cry themselves out as he was still in his costume and was going to wash it later anyways, once Kaemon was through crying they pulled away and wiped an arm across their face.

"You okay now?" He asked receiving a nod in response.

"Yeah, thanks." They answered with a slight sniffle and smile.

"Good, now what the hell are you doing here when half of your body is still missing?" He asked as he lightly hit the other on the head as to berate them for their recklessness.

"Ow!" They sounded though it was a bit in mock as he truly only bopped them and not really hit them "Well, when I woke up they told me they were gonna keep me there until the rest of my body grew back, but since I only need water for that I decided to sneak out and come back home." They explained.

"How did you manage to sneak past everyone?" He asked.

"Hehe, I didn't exactly sneak out alone~" They mused as they looked over their shoulder at the still open doorway.

Waiting a few seconds for something to happen Saitama felt his eyes widen once more as King, Tatsumaki, Fubuki, Mutsuko, and Genos all came into view. And while for the most part they didn't seem worse for wear at the same time King and Fubuki both had bandages around their heads, Tatsumaki the same though with a few more band aids applied to her face, and Mutsuko at first didn't seem like she had any sort of medicinal applications applied to her but upon closer inspection Saitama could see her wings seemed to be bandaged as best as they were able. As for Genos though he was already pretty much back to normal earlier and was no doubt only still there so his core could charge.

"Guys..." He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose "You do realize you were there to rest and get better right?" He asked.

"Yeah well the food sucked just like it does in a real hospital, so we thought why sit here and eat this garbage when Saitama's got a loaded fridge?" Tatsumaki asked playfully as she put her hands on her hips.

"I just really wanted to get out of there, I might be used to a lot of things but seeing the same guy multiple times in the same room is something I might never get used to." King admitted.

"I didn't feel as though mine and King's injuries were all that serious by this point, even though we still have these bandages the worst thing we have is just mild headaches." Fubuki explained.

"I simply followed them." Genos admitted.

"And I just wanted to see you Saitama!" Mutsuko beamed as she suddenly pulled him into a hug.

"HEY! WE AGREED TO NOT DO THINGS LIKE THAT!" Both ESP sisters shouted as they began to try and pry her off of him.

However before this whole scene could continue any further the sound of someone clearing their throat came from behind them causing them all to look towards the doorway once more. And sure enough the one who had made that sound wasn't any of them but in fact a brown haired man wearing glasses who seemed to have a bit more bandages than they did but was still didn't look too bad.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but I kinda followed all of you out and have been following you since." He admitted as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Who's this guy?" Tatsumaki asked with a raised brow as they all continued to stare at him.

"Wait..." Saitama began as the man's attire looked oddly familiar to him "...You're that guy! the one who gave me the ride!" He recalled causing the other to smile.

"That's right." He confirmed with a nod of his head.

"Okaaaaay so you two somehow know each other, that still doesn't explain why you followed us like a stalker." Tatsumaki chimed in.

"Oh! right, well you see I just never got to thank you for saving my life and all, and since everyone here seemed to know you I figured they were sneaking out to come and see you, so I followed them so I could give you my thanks in person." He explained.

Now of course being the hero that he is Saitama was no stranger when it came to receiving gratitude for simply being the way he was. But as this man stood before him and instead of gushing like a maniac or obsessing over him like a lunatic he instead was humble, modest, and above all NORMAL. And as he continued to appreciate the way he acted towards him it made him think back to how he and King first met and how King had thanked him for saving his life in this exact same manner.

"Hey." He spoke as he pointed to his living room with his thumb "Wanna stay for dinner? I've got a little of everything, so variety isn't an issue." He offered causing the other to smile.

"If it's really no issue." He replied as he entered the apartment.

"Saitama, what the hell?!" Tatsumaki questioned as she hit him over the head "What if this guy's like some sort of psycho murderer?!" She berated.

"You do realize there is nothing he could do to me that would actually be able to hurt me right?" Saitama asked with a raised brow.

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE WON'T TRY SOMETHING WITH THE REST OF US!" She argued.

"Oh come on Tatsumaki, we have some of the strongest people in the world in this room, you just don't want to share Saitama's cooking more than you already have to." Fubuki said which only set her sibling off more.

"THAT IS **SO** NOT TRUE!" Her sibling argued now turning to shout at her sister.

And so as Saitama was released from Mutsuko's iron clad grasp he went on to make them all a very well cooked, varied, and of course tasty meal and besides getting to know their guest, Mumen Rider a bit more they all had to agree that this was by far the best way a day like this could have ended.


	31. Filler Punch Eight

Disgust, that was the word that festered in Doctor Genus's mind as he looked at his creations who were currently floating within massive cylindrical gene therapy baths.

 _"How could I let this happen?"_ He wondered as he cursed himself beneath his breath _"I made them to be the pinnacle of evolution, and yet nature had produced something that was far superior to them..."_ He admitted as he looked towards Chikara _"You were my biggest failure Chikara, I sought to instill within you power unlike anything the world had seen, and yet still I let you down, by giving you strength that when tapped into drove you mad..."_ He continued to berate himself as he looked down at the clipboard in his hands _"But no more, I will not allow any of you to be returned to this state, I will make you even better than you were before, but to ensure that there are no flaws...I'm going to need test subjects first..."_ He realized as a wicked grin came to his face "Luckily there just so happens to BE a place filled with all the guinea pigs I could ever need~" He mused as he walked out of the room to get started on arrangements.

* * *

"Got any sixes?" Marugori of The Brain and Brawn Brothers asked as he looked at his actually well proportioned cards.

"No, go fish." Vaccine Man replied forcing the other to draw a card.

Miraculously enough once Doctor Bofoi AKA Metal Knight gained full reign over the prison things ACTUALLY became really nice. For example, when the association was running the place the facility operated like a standard prison, which meant that certain things like fights, under the table dealings, and so on also occurred. But once Doctor Bofoi gained control he actually established a system he believed would keep the inmates in line, a sort of rewards ladder if you will. In short all a prisoner would have to do in order to get rewards was behave and do as they were told, as well as oblige to any and all tests Doctor Bofoi had for them.

Speaking of his tests they actually weren't any sort of mad scientist shtick, in truth all he had them do was either test out a new gadget, technology, or even fight against a new type of defensive robot, and besides a few scratches and bruises no inmates so far had been seriously injured or killed. And as you can imagine some inmates such as The Brain and Brawn Brothers, as well as Vaccine man were often requested for these tests more so than other due to their unique nature. So obviously because of this they and other inmates like them were able to climb the rewards ladder faster and receive better things, such as their own private TVs, a deck of cards, food items other than the slop served to newcomers, and etc with each reward of course being made with their unique size in mind. So even though they were still very much so prisoners and if they did try anything they would just straight out be killed by the guard drones as long as they complied everything would actually be pretty pleasant all things considered.

"Hey." Vaccine Man spoke as to gain the other's attention "Where's Fukegao?, haven't seen him for a bit. " He asked.

"He's working on a robot, since he's a scientist and all." Marugori answered.

"He's allowed to do that kinda thing?" Vaccine Man asked.

"Well it's not like he could try anything without Metal Knight finding out." Marugori replied to which the other had to agree.

However before they could continue on with their card game a drone suddenly flew in between them.

"Attention! prisoners Marugori and Vaccine Man, your presence is requested in the main hall." It told them.

Confused as to what could be needed of them so suddenly they knew better than to object and simply put their cards down before following the drone out of the room. Walking through the prison they noticed that there seemed to be a lack of foot traffic, meaning that whatever was going must be serious.

"We didn't break any rules right?" Marugori asked.

"Not that I can think of, unless your brother was ACTUALLY crazy enough to try something." Vaccine Man replied.

Continuing to follow the drone until they reached the main hall they saw on the ground three individuals waiting for them. One of course was Marugori's brother Fukegao and another was one of Metal Knight's more beefier guard units, but the third one was a face they hadn't seen before.

"Ah there you both are." The voice of Doctor Bofoi said as his robot locked onto them "Please come over here and meet your new boss." He beckoned causing both of their eyes to widen.

"New boss?" They asked in unison as they approached.

"Yes, my name is Doctor Genus, I run an organization affiliated with the hero's association known as the House of Evolution." Dr. Genus explained as he introduced himself "As for how I am your new boss, well, I think it'd be best if Metal Knight were to explain that part." He admitted.

"Thank you Doctor Genus." Metal Knight said to his colleague before he focused back onto the trio "I'll keep this short as to not waste any time, you three are some of the most powerful inmates within this prison, from Fukegao's impressive intellect, to Marugori's immeasurable strength, and of course Vaccine Man's apparent ties to both nature itself as well as a still unknown form of energy that I have yet to determine the true nature of." He praised before gesturing to Doctor Genus "However, while you three are not to be taken lightly, compared to this man here you are all but peasants in the presence of a god, he has been able to accomplish what most scientists have often believed to be pure science fiction, he has perfected both the art of cloning as well as the ability to create life, something up until only nature could do." He explained as he lowered his hand "And while you three are meant to stay within this facility for the rest of your days he has come to me with a proposition that all of you should consider carefully." He revealed.

"Just as Metal Knight said I too shall be brief, you see after a recent...inciddent...that has occurred with my creations I wish to make them even better than they were before, a sort of stage two if you will, but to do this I need to have willing test subjects who won't mind undergoing experimental treatments and procedures before I apply them to my creations." Dr. Genus explained.

"So you just want to use as guinea pigs to further your own devices?" Fukegao asked.

"To be blunt, yes." Dr. Genus answered "But do not think for a moment that I will be torturing you, yes there might be some instances where pain is inevitable, but I will not let you suffer nor allow you to die, all I need is highly resilient subjects who can withstand things that most others cannot." He explained.

Taking a moment to consider this each of them of course had their own concerns and worries but it was Fukegao once again who replied.

"I have a question." He admitted as he gestured to his brother "I know why you want to have my brother take part in this, as well as Vaccine Man, but what could you possibly want with me?" He asked.

"You would serve as my research assistant." Dr. Genus answered "I've looked at your file, both the one regarding your time at this prison as well as your ACTUAL file kept by the association, and while your feats aren't plentiful you by no means are to be overlooked, after all you DID turn your brother into a towering giant." He praised.

"There's still something that doesn't make sense." Vaccine Man said.

"Which would be?" Metal Knight asked.

"What do we get for this?, because it doesn't seem like you're forcing us to do this, so why should we allow ourselves to be test subjects when we could just stay here and continue to do what we've been doing?" He asked.

"Ah right, the allure of the offer, in return for your contribution to both Doctor Genus's research as well as that of the association's, once we feel you have done enough or Doctor Genus has done all that he needs with you, you shall be granted your freedom." He explained causing all of their eyes to widen.

"SERIOUSLY?!" They asked in unison finding it near impossible that they had a chance to leave the life of a prisoner.

"Yes, but keep in mind this isn't a free pass to go back to your old ways." Metal Knight warned them "If at any point you show signs of reverting back to how you used to be, you will not be detained and brought back here for a new sentence, you will simply be killed by One Punch Man." He explained.

Feeling their hearts skip a beat at that warning, all three of them knew that there was no point in considering if the threat was real or not as most certainly if they were try anything they would find themselves on the receiving end of One Punch Man's fist, which was by far the most terrifying place to be in the whole world.

"Okay we accept." Fukegao spoke for the three of them as he knew his brother and Vaccine Man would agree "But there is still one major issue here, what are we going to do about my brother and Vaccine Man's sizes?" He asked.

"That I've already accounted for." Dr. Genus answered as he took out a device which looked as though someone had combined a pistol with a syringe "You see three of my creations, Genjiro, Fujio, and Suguru, were before now a bit underdeveloped in comparison to the rest, so to correct this immediately I simply sought out to create a size enhancing drug which would not only make them bigger but also refine their muscle mass which would increase their strength as well." He explained "As for how this solves your size issue, I simply created a better version of the drug which will not only shrink you somewhat, but will allow you to control your size." He added.

"So we'll be able to grow and shrink at will?" Marugori asked receiving a nod for confirmation.

"That's right, but like the other experiments you will be subjected to this one is still not fully tested, at most what you will be able to do once I inject the drug into you will be to go between three sizes, the likes of which include your current size, a slightly smaller size, and of course normal size which will leave you a little over six feet tall." Dr. Genus explained.

Still a tad bit shocked that they were getting a chance at freedom nevertheless Marugori and Vaccine Man steeped a small bit closer before kneeling down and presenting their wrists, to make the injection a bit easier.

"Glad to see you're on board." He said with a smile as he walked over to them "Now the drug's innate function is to make you normal, so the experience will be a little disorienting but you shouldn't pass out or get sick." He assured as he proceeded to stick the device into their arms.

Once both of them were injected it took only a matter of seconds before they began to shrink down to a more normal size, and as they did a drone carrying two normal sized prison suits flew over.

"Whooooa..." Marugori sounded as he put a hand to his head "I...feel...so weird..." He said as the drone handed him his suit.

"Ugh, is this what it's going to feel like from now on?" Vaccine Man asked as he too took his new suit from the drone.

"Be assured that in future experiments you will be receiving the best medical care one could ever hope for, so should you start to feel any kind of ailments they will be taken care of immediately." Dr. Genus stated "Now then, shall we depart?" He asked as he gestured to the door.

Taking a few moments to not only redress but collect themselves, once that was all said and done the trio proceeded to follow both Doctor Genus and Metal Knight towards the door and soon out of the facility. And while none of them knew what to expect going ahead, the moment they were outside of the prison and could feel the warmth of the volcano's heat below, only one thing came to their minds. It felt good to be free again.


	32. Lord Boros: Calm Before The Storm

"So...why am I here again?" Saitama asked as he looked around at his surroundings.

Ever since the inciddent with the fish people, Saitama hoped to whatever higher power might be listening that he would be left alone, excluding visits from friends of course, to enjoy some well deserved peace. Sadly but only a few days after the event he woke up to the sound of someone knocking at his door, and to his unfortunate surprise it was not one of his friends nor a crazed fan, which in this instance he would have preferred, but instead an association employee. But not only was this employee here on official S class hero business, he also asked him if he could get dressed so that he would be able to take him to a massive cargo plane that was ready and waiting. Of course this raised several questions for Saitama such as why they needed such a big plane if it was just him that was needed, why did they need HIM specifically, why were there no other S class heroes present, and of course why did he need to be in costume instead of his cozy pajamas.

"We've recently discovered a massive slumbering creature deep within the mountains." Bespectacled Worker answered as he adjusted his glasses "And since your victory over the Deep Sea King, there's been some slight seismic activity in the area, possibly related to the creature." He explained.

"So...you want me to..." Saitama trailed off as he wasn't really sure what his purpose in all of this was.

"Should something happen with our latest survey of both the creature and the mountain, you are here to ensure that it will not be a threat to any of the populace." Bespectacled Worker clarified.

Taking but a moment from their conversation to look outside the window behind him Saitama, due to their height, was able to see for miles and miles with no issue and not anywhere did he see so much as an abandoned shack, let alone any towns or cities.

"At any rate, there shouldn't be any actual issue with the survey this is mainly a precautionary measure." Bespectacled Worker added as Saitama turned back around.

"But doesn't it kinda seem like overkill to bring me in for this?" He asked causing the other to raise a brow.

"How so?" Bespectacled Worker asked.

"Tatsumaki could handle this no problem for starters." Saitama began as he held up a finger "Then you have Bang who's pretty strong considering how old he is, there's also Metal Knight, Drive Knight, Atomic Samurai, Dog Man, Child Emperor, even Pig God could handle something like this." He listed nearly naming the rest of S class all the while holding up a finger for each one "So why call me in when this doesn't seem like that big of a deal anyway?" He asked.

Upon being asked that question Bespectacled Worker seemed to be at a loss of words, as he really hadn't planned on being asked a question like that. To his defense however, when they've called upon Saitama's aid in the past he's never really questioned it to any actual degree, he normally just shrugs it off, says "Okay I guess", then proceeds to either deal with the issue in his normal fashion or have them surrender immediately upon them seeing him. But this was the first time that he'd ever actually pointed out that almost, if not ALL of the other S class heroes could have probably handled this with little to no issue at all, so why DID they choose him and only him?

"Well...it's...because of your strength." He answered though a bit sheepishly as he felt that he was insulting him in some way by saying that.

"Oh...well yeah that does make sense." Saitama agreed with a shrug "I guess when you can kill anything with one punch you're gonna be everyone's go to choice for problem solving." He admitted as he laid back in his seat.

Strangely enough, even with the semi awkward exchange that just took place now over, Bespectacled Worker found himself staring at Saitama, but not out of some kind of bafflement or confusion but instead surprise. For while it was of course known by everyone that Saitama was by far the least reactionary person at times, he could still very easily be annoyed to the point of anger or be seen with a slight smile on his face when he was happy, so seeing him just shrug off being flat out told his reason for being sought out first was his strength was surprising. To be fair, nearly all of the heroes in S class as well as the association believed that strength was the most important thing, sure there were ones like Bang who also knew of discipline and skill, as well as ones like Metal Knight who used their intellect over sheer brawn, but nonetheless they all had some form of strength to offer and they believed that to be the most important thing. But everyone in the whole world knew this wasn't how you would go about describing Saitama of all people, for while he of course possessed without question the greatest sheer power in the world, he was also a very simple laid back person who doesn't go about flaunting his strength nor preaches about how it's the most important thing in the world.

So if anyone would be offended by the notion that their only true worth and contribution to anything was but one sole aspect of their person Saitama, while not the number one choice mind you, was still a fair choice. Though perhaps he shouldn't be too surprised after all, seeing as how Saitama's constantly being hounded by the populace for both his status as a hero as well as his power, it could very well be that it's become such a norm for him that he's not even bothered by it too much, he's just come to accept it.

"Three minutes till landing." One of the pilots said over the plane's intercom system, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Well guess we better get ready." Saitama spoke as he stood from his seat and walked over to the cargo door.

"Yes we should." Bespectacled Worker agreed as he followed behind.

* * *

"Saitama?" Kaemon called from outside the other's door as they gave it a few knocks "You home?" They asked.

After staying up all night to watch a monster movie marathon, though the irony of that had not been realized by them, Kaemon seeing as how they didn't actually NEED to sleep they more so did it to pass time, decided to go hang out with Saitama. But as they stood there outside his door it seemed as though their shiny headed companion was in fact not at home, causing them let out a saddened sigh.

"Guess he's not home..." They said with a now slightly deflated tone "Maybe I will just sleep for a while." They suggested as they turned to go back to their apartment.

However, the moment they turned around to go back inside their own domicile they saw both Genos and King coming out of the stairwell, causing their previously defeated demeanor to change to that of excitement.

"Hey guys!" They greeted as they ran over "What's up?" They asked.

"Oh hey Kaemon." King greeted as they approached "Me and Genos ran into each other on the way here, turns out we both had the idea to see if Saitama wanted to train with us." He answered.

"Oh, well he's not home." They replied causing King to raise a brow.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes really, why would I lie about that?" They asked seeming to be slightly offended by that question.

"He is indeed not home." Genos spoke as he scanned Saitama's apartment "Though his costume is also gone, perhaps he went on patrol?" He suggested.

"I TOLD YOU HE WASN'T HOME!" Kaemon repeated now very upset that Genos and King hadn't just taken their word.

"Nah, Saitama doesn't go on patrols, he just waits for something to happen on the news." King replied.

"Then why is his costume missing, there aren't any signs of a break in so theft isn't possible." Genos noted.

"Are you guys even listening to me?" Kaemon asked as neither of them had responded so far.

"He could've just been out of clean clothes and decided to go shopping, he sometimes forgets to do his laundry." King suggested.

"No all of his clothes seem to be clean." Genos noted.

By this point Kaemon, not wanting to be the nonexistent third wheel to this conversation anymore simply stomped back inside their apartment with a huff, slamming the door shut behind them as they did.

* * *

 _"Did I forget to do the laundry?..."_ Saitama wondered as he, Bespectacled Worker, and a few other association employees ventured through a cave.

After their plan had landed safely on the ground Saitama, Bespectacled worker, and many scientist looking people walked towards a decently large cave entrance that led into the mountain's interior. However while everyone even Bespectacled Worker seemed to have a slight bit of uneasiness plague them Saitama as he usually did walked among them with a blank expression. That is until a sudden light rumbling went through the entirety of the mountain causing them all to stop as to let it pass.

"Whoa." Saitama spoke as he looked around "Was that the creature?" He asked receiving a nod in response.

"Yes, as I said the creature has been slightly moving since your victory over the Deep Sea King, however it's only been slight movements and nothing too serious." Bespectacled Worker explained.

"Must be pretty big to shake a mountain." Saitama replied earning another nod.

"Indeed, we've measured the creature and it's overall size can be compared to that of one of our buildings." Bespectacled Worker noted.

"Wow, that is big." Saitama admitted as he recalled how nearly every association building seemed to just tower above everything else.

Once the shaking had come to an end they continued to move deeper into the mountain, until finally they reach a massive cavern who's sole inhabitant was frozen in a glacier sized slab of ice. Even though he had already been told about the creature's size Saitama still found it a bit surprising at how large it really was, given he of course had seen and dealt with monsters of that stature before, but usually their size was attributed to experimentation or genetic manipulation, very rarely ever natural.

"He kinda looks like Godzilla but brown." He admitted as they walked towards it.

"Unlike Godzilla however, this one doesn't breathe radiation." One of the employees pointed out.

"How can you be sure?" Saitama asked.

"Because that would be ludicrous!" The employee exclaimed.

"So you don't ACTUALLY know then?" Saitama asked.

Thankfully, before he could continue to push the employee's buttons even more the creature moved again causing the whole cavern the shake.

"Are you sure we should be in here?" He asked as he looked around "What if all the shaking caused the cavern to cave in?" He asked.

"We've ensured the structural integrity of the cavern, there's no way it could cave in." The same employee answered.

"Just like you made sure it can't breath radiation?" Saitama asked which seemed to set the other off.

"Ahem." Bespectacled Worker sounded as to gain his attention, all the while the other employees did their best to restrain their colleague "As I said earlier, there shouldn't be any need for you to get involved One Punch Man, but in the event something does happen it would be best if you were ready." He explained.

Upon hearing this Saitama instead of replying simply looked around them for a moment before walking over and sitting atop a small boulder.

"Alright, guess we wait then." He said as he leaned back slightly, putting his arms behind him as he did.

* * *

"Does he really just leave his apartment unlocked like this?" Genos asked, finding it hard to believe even Saitama could be so careless.

"Would you want to try and break into the apartment of the strongest person in the world?" King asked in return.

"Good point." Genos replied not even needing to think on that.

Even with their friend and somewhat mentor not at home, Genos and King decided that instead of coming back later they'd just wait for him.

"So...Genos..." King began as he thought of a way to pass the time "What kind of stuff can you do?" He asked.

"Do you mean what am I fully capable of?" Genos asked receiving a nod in response "Well, I am able to reach speeds rivaling that of a fighter jet, I can withstand far more pressure and damage than a normal human, I can send forth blasts of heat from most parts of my body which serve different functions, I am able to analyze data and my environment down to a microscopic level, and I am immune to many ailments and problems that most people feel." He listed.

"So you can't get sick then?" King asked.

"It would be very difficult, but if there was a disease that focused solely on one's brain, then perhaps I could get sick." Genos answered.

"So that's all that's left of you then?" King asked.

"I have some of my original muscle, I possess a spine and a few ribs, but yes it is my brain which is mostly intact." Genos answered.

"So can you...feel things still?" King asked.

"Do you mean emotions?" Genos asked in return.

"No I mean like, can you feel the textures of things, as well as heat." King clarified.

"Ah, well yes, but only to a certain degree." Genos answered as he looked at his right hand "I have sensors which allow me to gauge the heat of an object as well as feel it's texture, but in regards to feeling heat specifically, I can only describe it like phantom pain, where I'm not really feeling it but because I know what it would feel like I do." He explained.

"Wow." King simply replied as he laid back on his hands.

However before they could continue their conversation further a sudden knock on the door gained their attention.

"Saitama you home?" The voice of Tatsumaki asked followed by a few more knocks.

"No, but we're here." King replied causing her to open the door.

Upon hearing that response Tatsumaki simply opened the door and proceeded to step in side a confused expression currently on her face.

"Why are you guys here if Saitama isn't?" She asked as she shut the door behind her.

"We were going to train with him, but since he is not here we decided to wait for his return." Genos answered.

"...Eh, fair enough." She replied before walking over.

"So what brings you here?" King asked as she sat down.

"I was going to spend some time with Fubuki, but she's busy with her group today." She answered as she rested her head in her palm.

"And does that upset you?" Genos asked causing her to glare at him.

"No, why would it?" She asked.

"Because your blood pressure slightly rose at the mention of-" He began to say until she flung a pot from the kitchen at his head via her ESP.

"DON'T CHECK MY BLOOD PRESSURE!" She shouted as the pot landed on the floor.

"Wait, you can check people's blood pressure?" King asked finding that to be an odd feature to his design.

"Yes, I am capable of checking someone's vitals, in the event I am ever saving someone and they require immediate aid." Genos explained before looking back to Tatsumaki "So you're angry correct?" He asked.

"Don't make me get another pot!" She responded as she slammed down on the table.

"Seems like he's right though." King noted causing her to glare at him too.

"Look, it's nothing okay!?" She exclaimed before crossed her arms and turning her head to the side "I just don't understand why she's wasting her time with those losers instead of hanging out with me." She admitted with a huff.

"Why are they losers?" Genos asked.

"Because they're not S class." King answered.

"But neither am I, yet she hangs out with me." Genos pointed out causing her to glare at him once more.

"NO, I DO NOT!" She shouted before pointing to him " **I** hang out with Saitama, YOU are just something I have to put up with because he likes you." She replied.

"What about me?" King asked as he pointed to himself.

"You're S class you're different." She answered before crossing her arms again "I only care about people who are strong, NOT people who are weak." She stated.

"Then what about Kaemon? they're not-" Genos began to say until he was suddenly flung into the wall.

Feeling his eyes widen at what just happened, King slowly moved his gaze from the now embedded Genos to Tatsumaki, who surprisingly enough was looking at him.

"Not. A. Word." She warned just as Genos fell from the wall and onto the floor.

* * *

Almost thirty minutes had passed by since Saitama had been shown the creature, and while there had been a few more shakes since then, nothing worthwhile actually happened.

 _"Man this is boring."_ He thought to himself as he watched the employees work _"I could be home right now, sleeping or reading manga, but instead I'm hear staring at a giant frozen lizard."_ He went on releasing a sigh as he did.

Thankfully though, just as boredom seemed to be consuming him completely, Bespectacled Worker walked over to him bringing him out of his thoughts.

"It looks like nothing is going to happen today." He said, much to Saitama's relief "But due to this increase in activity it could awaken very soon." He added as Saitama got up from his seat.

"Well if it does you know where to find me." He replied as he stretched out his back "Don't worry about a ride home, I can just walk back." He assured as he began to take his leave.

Yet as if the universe had the most unfortunate of timing, Bespectacled Worker received a sudden called from association H.Q., and upon taking the call he felt his eyes widen in shock.

"One Punch Man!" He exclaimed regaining the other's attention "Something has happened, and I need you to come back with me to headquarters!" He revealed.

"Wow really?" Saitama asked, though with a tone that implied he was a bit disappointed more so than actually surprised.

"Yes, it's an emergency!" The other replied as he began to hurry out of the cavern "Please follow me!" He instructed.

Letting out a long and heavy sigh Saitama simply followed the other, knowing well if he was needed at H.Q. it had to be important, though given the reason they got him out of bed there was a bit of doubt.

* * *

Heroes Association Headquarters, while not one of the oldest structures in the world within but a few years it has not only achieved more fame than any other but is also one of the largest buildings in the world. And while most would give anything to see even but a single floor of this impressive looming tower that represented good and justice, for the heroes who often were frequently summoned it was more like an office than anything else. But then you had a hero like Saitama, who didn't consider any of this to be needed for him to be a hero, sure he was grateful to the association and of course Agoni more so for all he had done for him, at the same time if he had never been noticed or given such recognition by the public he'd still do hero work. That's not to say of course he didn't appreciate all the good the association and the other heroes did for people, it's just he finds it strange how before the association was founded no one ever seemed to care enough to even do something as simple as help someone across the street, let alone fight monsters and save lives.

Which is exactly why, as he rode the association's elevator up to the top floor, that he still had his expressionless non caring face even though Bespectacled Worker seemed to be uneasy.

"You okay?" He asked as he looked towards the other.

"Yes, I'm just a bit nervous is all." Bespectacled Worker admitted, which actually surprised Saitama.

"Is it really that serious?" He asked.

"It could be, depending on the details." The other replied as they finally reached their floor.

Stepping out as soon as the doors were open Saitama was surprised even further as the first thing he saw was King, Genos, Tatsumaki, and Kaemon who actually seemed to be waiting for him.

"There you are!" Tatsumaki exclaimed as she tapped her foot "What took you so long?!" She questioned.

"I was dealing with a giant lizard thing." He answered causing Kaemon's eyes to widen.

"THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!" They exclaimed as they ran over "What happened! did you punch it?" They asked.

"Nah, it's frozen in a giant block of ice, I was just there in case it woke up." He answered whilst shaking his head.

"Excuse me." Bespectacled Worker spoke gaining all of their attentions "Could we please get to the meeting?" He asked.

"We are talking!" Tatsumaki scolded as she looked towards him "Go and tell the others we'll be right there!" She ordered as she pointed down the corridor.

Knowing better than to tempt her wrath Bespectacled Worker simply did as he was told and headed for the meeting room.

"You'd think she'd be nicer to employees of the association." Genos pointed out causing her to glare at him.

"Don't make me put you into the wall again!" She warned.

"Wait again?" Saitama asked.

"Yeah, she kinda got upset at Genos back at your place so she flung him into the wall." King answered causing his eyes to widen.

"Wait what?!" He asked as he looked towards her "Why?!" He added.

"Because blondie here started mouthing off to me!" She replied.

"All I said was that Kaemon wasn't-" Genos began to say until she turned back to face him.

"If you say even ONE MORE THING I will send you to the ground floor!" She warned.

"Wait, what am I not?" Kaemon asked now curious as to what they were talking about.

Unfortunately, before this fiasco of a conversation could go on any further the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them caught their attention, and when they looked to see who it was they found Sitch standing there with his hands behind his back.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have to get the meeting started." He told them.

Thankfully, it seemed as though Tatsumaki had grown far too irritated at their conversation, and without so much as a sound she simply walked down the corridor heading towards the meeting room, bringing it to it's end.

"Guess that's that then." King said as he followed her with both Genos and Saitama also following.

"Hey, I still want to know what you were saying about me!" Kaemon told them as they ran to catch up.


	33. Lord Boros: The Invasion Begins

There are many times in life where we find ourselves in situations that are so tense and serious that more often than not it is joked that said tension can be cut with a knife. But then there are those who find themselves having these moments far more frequently than others, whether it be due to their own desire to experience them for whatever reason or perhaps it simply comes with the life they've chosen. Both could very easily apply to the entirety of class S, who at the moment found themselves all gathered together in one room, excluding the second highest rank Blast which was expected. However, this was the first time that any of the S class could recall where excluding association employees there were non S class people standing among them, the likes of which included class A hero Genos, Kaemon who was only known by a select few, and finally Doctor Genus who had been accompanied by Metal Knight.

And while their inclusion in the meeting was of no real issue, it did bring questions to some of the heroes minds while the rest were more so focused on the reason for why they were here.

 _"Who's that cute boy that Saitama and Tatsumaki brought?"_ Puri Puri Prisoner thought as he looked towards Genos.

 _"This must be serious, nearly all of class S is here, except for rank two."_ Genos noted as he looked around the room.

 _"What the hell is that seaweed looking thing?"_ Metal Bat wondered as he stared at Kaemon.

 _"Why is that guy with the weird hair staring at me?"_ Kaemon wondered as they did their best not to stare back.

 _"I wonder if Saitama would ever consider wearing a tank top?"_ Tank Top Master wondered as he cast a glance in the other's direction.

 _"If they bothered to bring Saitama here, then it might be worth my time."_ Flashy Flash reasoned as he simply stared across the room at no one in particular.

 _" ...Pretty sure somebody farted."_ Watchdog Man thought as he gave the air a few sniffs.

 _"They're all checking out my guns, HELL YEAH!"_ Superalloy Blackluster thought as he slightly flexed his pecs.

 _"Maybe I should get pizza later..."_ Pig God thought as he somewhat mindlessly ate the countless hamburgers in his possession.

 _"Metal Knight and Doctor Genus, something to be wary of."_ Drive Knight noted as he looked from one to the other.

 _"I still don't trust that he's changed."_ Zombieman thought as he stared towards Doctor Genus _"And does that pig ever stop eating?"_ He wondered as Pig God's disgusting sounds reached his ear.

 _"Both Drive Knight and Zombieman are staring at me, Zombieman I expected, but why the other?"_ Dr. Genus wondered.

 _"If everyone's here, then this has to be something big, hopefully I'll be of some use this time."_ King hoped as he did his best to look strong and intimidating.

 _"Perhaps I will be able to acquire new data on Saitama, should there be something that actually requires his involvement."_ Metal Knight thought to himself, though of course in his actual place at the meeting was one of his robots.

 _"Rank two's a no show again? doesn't he ever want to meet Saitama?"_ Child Emperor thought as he casually licked away at a lollipop in his hand.

 _"Maybe this time I can convince Saitama to try using a sword, with his strength he could probably slice mountains in half."_ Atomic Samurai thought.

"So, why have we all been gathered here?" Bang asked, being the first of them to speak as well as ask the obvious question.

"Yeah this had better be important, otherwise I'm leaving." Tatsumaki said as she leaned back in her chair.

As for Saitama, he wasn't really thinking of anything at the moment nor did he have anything he wanted to say, instead he simply sipped a cup of tea that had been given to him by an employee, as he always asked for some whenever he was in these meetings.

"First off I'd like to show my appreciation that everyone, Metal Knight and Saitama included could make it to this meeting, and while we have not been able to locate Blast as to bring him here as well, we cannot afford to delay this meeting any further and so we will begin." Sitch stated as he placed his hands on the table "Now the reason why you all are here is simple, you are the best of the best and if there was ever a time we needed the strongest heroes the association had to offer then now is that time, however even with your skills and power I cannot guarantee your survival, walking away also takes courage and anyone here choosing to do so will retain their class S status, but for those who stay and hear me out you will not be allowed to walk away from this briefing, you will be confined here until we are certain the inciddent is over to avoid a general panic." He explained as he looked to all of them for a reaction "Alright then are all of you willing to hear this?" He asked.

Much to Genos, Kaemon, and even Doctor Genus's surprise, instead of anyone answering him directly they all looked towards Saitama as to see what his decision on the matter was.

"Yeah sure." He simply agreed with a shrug of his shoulders as he found there to be no point in NOT hearing him out given he'd been brought all this way for it.

Upon hearing his agreement the other S class heroes all gave a nod for confirmation as well, and while most of them did so because they wished to see Saitama in action such as Child Emperor and Metal Knight, others did it because they held a high respect for Saitama and trusted his judgement such as Bang and Flashy Flash.

"Very well." Sitch said before he looked down to the table seeming to find it hard to say whatever was to come next "...The great seer Madam Shibabawa...is dead." He revealed which managed to surprise a few of them.

"Wait, Madama Shibabawa? was she murdered?" Zombieman asked.

"No, while looking into the future for the next six months, she became agitated and had a bad coughing fit, she popped a cough drop in her mouth to ease her discomfort, unfortunately ended up choking on it." Bespectacled Worker answered.

"I get it, so we have to figure out some way to prevent disasters without the help of predictions, that's the reason we were all called to this meeting." Superalloy Blackluster said as he raised a finger.

"Incorrect, Madam Shibabawa has only been able to predict a handful of disasters over the years, the truth is while helpful she was unable to see most catastrophic disasters." Sitch explained.

"We've gotten through many crises without Madam Shibabawa's predictions, still we provided her with a bodyguard and gave her special treatment for her services." Bearded Worked added.

"Indeed, and that's because her few predictions were one hundred percent accurate, the crux of the problem is this." Sitch revealed as he pulled out a folded piece of paper from his suit's jacket "I hold in my hand her last and perhaps greatest prophecy, as she took her last breath choking on that cough drop she managed to leave this note, it is a grave prediction that will absolutely come to pass, here it is, can you read it?" He explained as he set it down upon the table, to which it was scanned before being displayed via hologram to the others.

Upon seeing the message be put on display most of the people in the room, excluding the likes of Saitama, Flashy Flash, Drive Knight, Tatsumaki, Metal Knight, and Genos all felt their eyes slightly widen at what was written, causing them to say it aloud in unison.

"The earth is, in trouble?" They all asked as they stared at the holographic piece of paper.

However, their widened eyes were not so much from horror or even a slight bit of shock, in truth they all felt a little over hyped so to say as the message in itself wasn't too terrifying.

"Are you kidding? that is so dumb, can I go now now? I have cram school." Child Emperor said in a somewhat hasted fashion, for while he would had loved to seen Saitama in action, given they now knew the scope of the problem the likelihood of that was nonexistent.

"I know you are prodigy Child Emperor, but if you cannot grasp the catastrophic danger I've presented before you today it reveals just how immature you are." Sitch replied as he looked towards the other.

"What'd you say?!" Child Emperor questioned as he quickly became angered.

"Now calm down, everyone listen up." Sitch said as he raised a hand to the air "Madam Shibabawa's predictions are one hundred percent accurate, she's miraculously foretold numerous tragedies and disasters in the past, while many were saved a few of them resulted in the loss of countless lives, but not once in all of her predictions did Madam Shibabawa use a word with the same weight as trouble, something more dangerous than a dragon level cataclysm or monster is on it's way of that we can be sure, and it will occur some time in the next six months!" He exclaimed hoping they would understand the dire nature of the issue.

Taking a moment to consider what he said, it would only be a few seconds of contemplation before one of the heroes spoke up.

"Okay, but does that mean you don't know when in the next six months?" Watchdog Man asked.

"Yeah, it's kinda hard to plan for that." Flashy Flash added.

"Yes your observations are correct, but I want you all to be ready for a fight in the next six months is that understood?" Sitch asked.

However before anyone else could say a word Saitama was the next to speak which caused everyone to look at him.

"In the next six months, so that could mean it's tomorrow or even today?" He asked.

"Uh, yes that's true but even so we need to do our best to be-" Sitch began to answer until he was interrupted by something hitting the association, with enough power to not only shake the building but to also cause what sounded like an explosion.

Responding immediately to this sudden attack all of the heroes rose from their seats just as all of the lights in the room began to flash red.

"The building is under attack!" Genos exclaimed as he began to try see what was outside, but found that the building's walld kept him from doing so.

"That's impossible, this is the hero association headquarters!" Superalloy Blackluster replied as another blow struck the building.

If there were any windows to be found on the building, or at the very least at the room they were all gathered in, they would be able to see their attackers much like the citizens who looked up in shock and horror. Flying in the skies above them were four demon like creatures, each possessing not only a set of wings similar to a bird's but also a unique color of skin, with the only exception being the one who seemed to lead them as he had two sets of wings. However, they weren't too focused on the creatures' details as they were busy attacking the hero association headquarters via spheres of pure fire which exploded upon impact, which was the main reason for their shrieks of terror.

"Ha ha ha! that's quite the formidable fortress to be sure!" Their leader exclaimed as he came to a stop in the air, the others that followed doing the same "Time to attack, Hawk, Eagle, Falcon, and Kite, wipe out these so called heroes and the land below will belong to us, we will dive in head first! follow me the sky king, fly!" He commanded as he dove towards the building.

But before he could close too much distance, he soon found the others falling towards the ground, all of them having sustained injuries beyond recovery.

"Father...above us...fly away..." One managed to say as they fell to their doom.

"The sky king killed like some worthless little insect...who could have-" He began to say only to be stopped as he was sliced vertically in half.

Falling after his sons now in two pieces, the one responsible for their deaths watched their corpses disappear among the buildings, as their blade like appendage was now covered in their blood.

"What was that?" "Who knows?" "It flew so we killed it." "That Is good." "Duty to protect the ship." A group of five voices though belonging to the same being came from five separate heads as their body hovered in the air due to their bat like wings.

Yet it was not this demon like entity that the populace below looked up to with frozen bodies and eyes as wide as plates, but instead the massive ship comprised of technology and materials the likes no one had ever seen before which flew above it. But before any of them could scream or even attempt to run away the entirety of the ship's underside glowed a bright purple, followed by a massive explosion which without issue decimated the city, all except for one building.

"Emergency power has now been activated." The automated voice of the association's headquarters said over the intercom system, just as the lights and other electronic devices came back on.

"What in the blazes was that? what the hell is going on out there?!" Sitch asked as he looked towards the ceiling.

"I don't know sir, all communications are cut off, we're in the dark!" Bearded Worker exclaimed as he put on his headset whilst taking out his cellphone.

Not wasting a single moment Sitch brought up countless system diagnostics and status reports via the table's projection technology, and upon seeing what was brought forth it made his blood run cold.

"Im-Impossible..." He said as he looked at all of the data.

"Is everyone okay?" King asked as he looked around making sure nothing beyond the obvious had happened.

"Ugh what happened?" Kaemon asked as they had fallen out of their chair and were feeling a bit disoriented.

"Are you alright Kaemon?" Tatsumaki asked as she helped them up.

"Yeah, don't really have any bones or organs, so I'm just dizzy." They answered as they got to their feet.

As everyone continued to ensure that they were fine and the building was at no risk of collapsing, just a few feet away a man who had miraculously somehow managed to survive such an attack frantically searched for his son. Grabbing onto the first fairly sized piece of rubble that was in view the man managed to move it aside just enough to where he could look inside to which he was able to breath a sigh of relief.

"DAD!" The boy cried out as he saw his father above him, unable to keep tears from spilling out of his eyes.

"We're okay now son, grab onto me." He instructed as he held out his hand for his son to grab onto.

Doing as he was told the boy took hold of his father's hand and with no issue at all was lifted into his father's waiting embrace. Unable to keep himself from breaking down into a sob any longer the boy hugged his father as tightly as he could before crying out of sheer fear for what had just happened. However, as he looked up only a slight bit from his father's shoulder, he saw the massive looming vessel that remained in the sky above covering them and what was once the city in a dark shadow. Feeling his fear grow it would only continue to worsen, as the sound of heavy footsteps approaching them was heard, accompanied by the far more sinister voice of their owner.

"What is this?" "It appears there are survivors." "The ship failed to kill them all." "We won't." "That is good." The Multi headed monster who appeared alongside the ship spoke as it now loomed over them, the fingers on it's right hand shooting out towards them as it did.

Thankfully, before anything else could transpire a blade sliced through it's fingers severing them halfway to the hand as well as managing to cleave the beast a fair bit in the process.

"Get away from here right now!" A man fully clad in a suit of armor ordered to the father and child as he sheathed his sword.

Watching as the father with his son in his arms hurried away, the man could not keep a small smile from appearing on his face. Sadly he would not get to enjoy his act of heroism for too long as he sensed the presence of the monster suddenly upon him, forcing him to dodge just barely in time as where his head once was would have been crushed, seeing as how his helmet had been caught by it's attack and now laid on the ground completely flat.

"You think I don't sense your thirst for blood?" He asked causing the creature to look towards his new position "I accompanied master Atomic here and was waiting for the class S meeting to come to an end, only to meet thunder and destruction." He explained as he readied himself in a combative stance "Is this your doing beast?!" He shouted in question as he leapt towards the other slicing him straight upwards through at least two of his heads while doing so.

* * *

"Destruction levels are at ninety nine point eight percent!" Sitch exclaimed as he gripped his head with his hands "City A has been leveled, it was destroyed in an instant! I thought we had more time how could we have known her prediction would come true so soon?!" He questioned as panic began to take hold.

"Hold on, why was this building spared then?" Bang questioned.

"You have me to thank for that." Metal Knight Spoke causing everyone to look at him "The association came to me and asked me to construct the headquarters, believe me when I say if they hadn't you'd all be dead right now." He admitted bluntly.

"Ah, so that's why there're no windows." Metal Bat said as he looked around.

"We should go outside and see what's going on for ourselves, just to see if the prophecy is actually happening." Child Emperor suggested as Atomic Samurai was already heading for the door.

"You want in on this Saitama?" He asked as he looked over his shoulder only to stop and turn back around at what he had found.

Confused at his sudden look of surprise, everyone else followed his gazed to Saitama's seat, where they found it was not only empty but now had a tunnel directly above it, telling them all where he had gone.

"He...managed to punch through the building..." Metal Knight noted, completely baffled by how that was possible.

"Pfft, of course he did! you think some concrete and metal's gonna stop him?" Metal Bat asked as he hurried to the door "I better get out there fast before they're all dead!" He shouted on his way out.

Upon hearing that be said all of the other heroes immediately followed in Metal Bat's action for none of them wanted to be left out of a fight where Saitama was involved. However as Kaemon tried to follow as well they found themselves being stopped by Tatsumaki.

"Stay here Kaemon, I mean it!" She told them before going through the tunnel Saitama had made, Genos, King, Superalloy Blackluster, and Child Emperor all following right behind.

But before they could protest or even ignore her instruction and follow as well they felt a hand be placed on their shoulder which belonged to Doctor Genus.

"I would listen to her if I were you." He warned as he looked up towards the tunnel "Any fight that One Punch Man's a part of is a fight best observed from as far away as possible." He advised.


	34. Lord Boros: The Heroes Retaliation

Routine, a word by definition means to do something the exact same way with little to no variation, a word that most would use to describe their every day lives or just their jobs. But what if there truly was no variation, at least nothing worthwhile anyways, would one's routine become so bleak and hopeless that the thought of getting up and going through it again would just seem ultimately pointless? That is how Saitama felt every day since he became the world's strongest hero, for while along this journey he did make friends, he did have some interesting adventures and experiences, overall it wasn't enough to free him of the burden that had become his life. Every day just seemed like a repeating cycle that would never change, never again would he know the joy of an adrenaline rush or experience the fear of loss or injury, for now as he was there seemed to be no consequence to his life making it truly boring.

Even now, as he stood atop of the hero association headquarters, staring out at both a massive ship and the ruins of what was once City A, he felt no anger, fear, excitement, sadness, or so on, even though he knew he should. But sadly his curiosity of what lay before him seemed to take priority over his concern of his lack of emotional response, causing him to come across as his usual laid back self.

"Whoa that's big, are they aliens?" He asked as his cape fluttered in the breeze.

Choosing not to wait around for an answer but to simply go and get one himself, he bent his legs before leaping from the roof heading straight for the ship. However, the moment he did so something caught his attention, a fast glow of purple light from somewhere on the ship's underside soon followed by some kind of object flying right towards him. Of course he managed to dodge it with no issue at all, but as he did so he took notice at how it seemed to be an insanely large bullet, but was more than likely closer to an artillery shell than the former.

"So that's what blew the city to pieces." He noted as it flew past him and into the horizon.

But before he could continue on his way without hindrance towards the ship, several more bright purple lights appeared followed by just as many more shells. Though just as before he was able to dodge them all with no trouble whatsoever, making sure to land on the last one as to send it back.

"I've had enough, get lost!" He exclaimed as he kicked it back causing a small explosion the moment it reached the ship.

Meanwhile directly below him at the building's front, the man clad in armor had just finished dealing a rapid series of blows to the monster's body, leaving him somewhat winded in the process. Unfortunately for him as he stood there staring at the creature, it's wounds began to rapidly heal seeming to not do anything in the way of harm to it.

"This is one militant creature." "Also cautious." Hurry, let us hurry and kill." "That is good." Four of it's heads, speaking after one another said as it looked down towards him.

 _"Can it even be destroyed?!"_ The man wondered as he had regained his breath steadying his stance as he did.

However, before he could do anything more or even think of a new plan of attack, the creature's left arm morphed into a massive hammer before striking with such speed and power that despite his own haste in dodging, the man still lost his left arm.

 _"Each of it's strikes is lethal! I can't beat this thing!"_ He thought to himself as he took his remaining hand from his blade's hilt and put it to his wound.

"Such a weak and frail species." "So easily killed." "That is good." Three of it's heads said, as all of them began to pull away from one another forming their own bodies as they did.

 _"It's splitting?! damn it! what is this?!"_ He wondered as a frustrated glare came to his face.

"I will dispose of this one, you handle the others." "Very well then." "I will go kill those that ran away from us." "That is good." "I-" Four manged to speak, but soon met the same fate as the fifth who had been cut off.

Feeling his eyes widen in shock as a blinding light appeared followed by the creatures collapsing into several pieces, the man knew there could be only one person responsible.

"Master!" He called out as the dust from the attack began to settle revealing Atomic Samurai.

"Iaian, you don't look so good, you okay? your left arm's kinda-" Atomic Samurai began to say only to be cut off by his disciple.

"Master! swords have no effect on this strange creature! forget about me get out of here!" Ianian shouted to his master hoping to save him from taking any injury or even death.

Sadly, before he could get any response to his words the creatures rapidly reformed into a single being, but just as before it was swiftly dealt with by Atomic Samurai.

"Be gone!" He exclaimed as he returned it to pieces before looking back to his student "Iaian, the path of the sword does not end for you yet, stop bleeding!" He commanded.

"Yes master!" Iaian responded without question seeming to somehow despite all logic actually stop his bleeding.

Yet just as the creature had also done before it reformed into a singular entity, this time much bigger than the previous one with more eyes as well as teeth to show for it.

"Hahaha, good, seems a life form on this planet can fight, excellent, I invite you to try withstanding our invasion!" It challenged no longer speaking in multiple voices.

"Planet huh? so you're from outer space then?" Atomic Samurai asked as he glanced up at the ship "And you got friends up there in that floaty toy ship thing right? yeah that's it." He went on before looking back to the creature "I doubt you have the strength or the power to cause this much destruction to the city by yourself." He said as he took a combative stance.

"You can count us in Atomic Samurai." Bang said as he and Metal Bat had caught up with him from the building and now stood at his sides.

"You the ugly bastard who smashed this town?" Metal Bat asked with an expression that told anyone who saw it that he was pissed.

"What happens if I say yes?" It asked as it's already present grin grew a slight bit bigger.

"For all of the beautiful men you killed I claim vengeance!" Puri Puri Prisoner suddenly exclaimed as he swiftly approached the creature from it's right side before leaping into the air, and with a flex of his muscles completely destroyed his clothes, whilst also somehow making black feathered angel wings appear _"Like he said, each separate attack must be delivered with intent to kill!"_ He thought as the image of the Deep Sea King came to mind before he began to fall towards the creature "DARK ANGEL FLASH!" He shouted before unleashing a powerful series of punches upon the creature.

Caught by surprise from the sudden attack the creature simply stood there and took each and every blow as they made contact, countless dents and holes being made in their body as a result. However, as Puri Puri Prisoner continued in his barrage of punches and the others were readying themselves should they need to assist, Flashy Flash, Watchdog Man, Pig God, Drive Knight, Zombieman, TankTop Master, and Metal Knight were focusing on other tasks.

"There's survivors." Watchdog Man told them as he began to sniff the ground "But they're all over the place and buried pretty far down." He noted.

"There's also the giant ship in the sky." Zombieman said as he stared at it "How're we supposed to deal with that?" He asked.

"Leave that to me." Metal Knight told them as his robot stepped forward "I cannot guarantee I will be able to bring it down, but I at the very least can try and do some kind of damage." He said.

"Hmph, I'm surprised." Flashy Flash admitted as he crossed his arms "Normally you'd just try and blow everything up with missiles and rockets, why not do that now?" He questioned.

"Everything about our enemy is unknown including the materials used to not only make that ship but also to power it, destroying it would be a waste of research potential." Metal Knight explained as some compartments on his robot opened up "I'll send some scouting drones first to see if there are any weak points." He added as several small spherical robots suddenly shot out of the compartments all heading towards the ship.

"I guess that leaves us to take care of the civilians seeing as how those four can handle that creature." Zombieman said as he looked over at the others.

"We can still attack the ship." TankTop Master told him as he lifted with ease a massive piece of debris from the ground before throwing it towards the ship "We just have to be creative." He added right as it made contact.

"No damage." Metal Knight noted as one of his drones scanned the impact zone "Not even so much as a scuff mark is visible." He added.

"Then let's stop wasting time and save the trapped civilians." Drive Knight told them as he got to work.

Following in his action they began to swiftly toss and destroy all the debris around them all except for Metal Knight of course as he was busy surveying the ship. Meanwhile as all of this was transpiring, inside the building all of the employees were frantically running about with Bearded and Bespectacled Worker both going straight towards the command center.

"Issue an evacuation warning to City A and all neighboring cities right away!" Bearded Worker ordered the moment they were inside the room receiving a resounding "Yes sir!" from all of the workers present "And expand the system and vitals monitor to cover all of City A! we need an accurate count of the survivors we'll need to rescue!" He added.

"What's the threat level?" One worker asked his own curiosity getting the better of him.

"Dragon, without a doubt." Bespectacled Worker answered which seemed to shock everyone but them.

"Not quite..." Bearded Worker replied as he looked towards the main monitor with a look of uncertainty "This might be god..." He corrected as he stared towards the live feed of the ship they were receiving.

Feeling fear and dread wash over them like a tsunami the others despite this knew that if they were going to have any chance of surviving this potential cataclysm they would need to do as much work as the S class heroes no doubt were at this exact moment. Which in truth did apply to those on the ground but for those who had gone to the roof via the tunnel Saitama had made they were facing a complication they had not originally foreseen.

"Four class S heroes can take care of the enemy on the ground, same goes for the others looking for survivors, but the real problem's up there." Child Emperor stated as he, Tatsumaki, Genos, King, and Superalloy Blackluster looked towards the ship "We can't reach that ship, any aircraft would be shot down in a matter of seconds." He noted as he licked his lollipop.

"Any ideas?" Superalloy Blackluster asked as he looked towards the others, hoping that they would have something in mind.

"There's nothing I can do." King said in a tone that held both disappointment and frustration as he clenched his fists.

"I could attack it from here, but I doubt I will do anything." Genos said as he scanned the ship in hopes of finding a vulnerability.

"So I'm the only one who can be of any use then?" Tatsumaki asked as she looked at them "Honestly there has to be something all of you can do besides just standing here." She added while crossing her arms.

"To be honest One Punch Man's probably on the ship by now." Child Emperor said with a shrug "Seeing that everyone else has the situation on the ground handled, we actually could just sit back and watch." He admitted.

"Well I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing." She told him as she began to levitate "I'll give him five minutes to make the ship start falling before I get involved." She said.

"So you're just going to watch like us then?" He questioned causing her to glare at him.

"No I am waiting to see if I even need to deal with this and if I do then I will." She replied before she assumed a sitting position in the air.

"Uh huh." He he said as he licked his lollipop before he and the others returned their focus to the ship.

* * *

Walls adorning holes big enough for someone to easily pass through, several corpses laying everywhere throughout countless corridors, and the unknown total amount of blood splattered upon the ceiling, floor, and aforementioned walls all came together to show the path of death that Saitama paved as he made his way through the ship. Yet even still as he ran through an alien vessel killing creatures that no doubt came from unknown worlds, he still just casually ran through the place looking for their leader.

"Ah ha ha ha!" A sudden laughter sounded from above him causing him to stop and look towards it's source "Well done making it this far intruder! but you have reached the end!" A giant talking plant that had a human like body, except for the two additional mouths that served as it's hands complimented as it looked down at him "For I am Groribas! and there is no way you can hope to defeat me!" It exclaimed before it leapt off of the ledge and headed straight towards him "My acid breath will melt you into a pile of fleshy pulp!" It warned as it opened it's mouth readying to attack.

But unfortunately for this strange creature it would not even get to go through with it's attack as with but a quick leap upwards and an even quicker punch, Saitama simply took the top half of it's head clean off causing it to fall lifeless to the ground. With that having been dealt with in the same manner as all the others, Saitama resumed in punching and even kicking random parts of the ship around him in hopes of doing more damage than he already had. Like a chain of dominoes did explosions go off one by one by one as a result from his attacks, and while no one from the ground or even the rooftop could see it Metal Knight however could, thanks to his survey drones.

* * *

 _"Incredible!"_ Dr. Bofoi thought to himself as he simply watched the explosions continue to go off _"He's damaging the ship with such speed and efficiency, not bothering to waste any time on going for specific parts!"_ He noted as he began to type something into his command console _"I should broadcast this feed to the association, as well as any media outlets, they're all going to want to see this."_ He decided as he sent one of the drones into one of the openings made by the damage as to follow Saitama.

* * *

"Huh, you'd think the boss would've shown his face by now, if he's even alive anymore." Saitama noted just as he punched another wall.

And yet despite all of the damage and shaking that was currently taking place, elsewhere the very leader he sought simply sat upon a throne seeming to be lost in thought.

 _"Could it be?"_ They questioned as they stared intently towards their room's entrance _"Could the prophecy...be true?"_ They wondered as yet another explosion could be heard going off in the distance.


	35. Lord Boros: Finale

What's out there, a very simple question that mankind has been asking since it was first capable of thought and curiosity, the desire to know what lies in wait among the stars has and most likely will always be one of our greatest questions. But what about the life that exists out there, surely there has to be some other sentient beings who have gazed at their own set of stars and wondered the same thing? Yet what if by chance that wasn't exactly what they were thinking when they gazed towards the infinite horizon that loomed above them, what if their desire to explore the stars was to find something in particular and not just other forms of life? Perhaps that alone is what drove the leader of the aliens currently attacking the planet to come here and do so, perhaps they are not driven by a simple lust for power or a desire to explore but have come for something greater.

Whatever the reason for their being here one thing is most definitely certain, that they could not in any way or fashion have expected to receive such a strong resistance to their might and technology as they currently were, causing their leader to rise from their throne and slowly make their way towards the ship's command center, as to get a better understanding of the situation.

"Th-This can't be happening! even the mighty Groribas the best warrior we had was defeated?!" A being with deep blue skin and a body seeming to be made mostly of tentacles questioned in disbelief as they stared towards countless monitors that were connected to all of the ship's cameras "What manner of creature is he? and how did he get aboard our ship in the first place?" It asked as frustration began to build due to the aforementioned cameras all being swiftly destroyed by the intruder "Damn it, Melzalgald was supposed to be guarding the ship against any threats! now he and I are the only other elite fighters left available to fend off this barbaric biped! I bet he's just mucking about, I need him now the bastard!" It exclaimed angrily.

However, before it could continue to go on with it's rant the sound of the room's door behind it opening gained it's attention. Standing there in the doorway at an intimidating seven foot ten was their leader, and while he possessed impressive gold plated armor which not only complimented his spiky pink hair but also his blue skin, he also possessed an aura of authority and power that any being regardless if they knew who he was would sense immediately.

"Geryuganshoop, what's the problem?" He asked as he stepped into the room, looking towards the other with his one cyclops like blue eye.

"Lord Boros!" It greeted as it turned to face him "I'm sorry I've made a terrible mistake! I've allowed one of the natives to infiltrate the ship!" It told him as it turned back towards the monitors "In the mere four minutes since he came aboard twenty three percent of the ship has been damaged! it seems he is alone, but has somehow managed to instantly kill every warrior sent to intercept him! I'm at a loss here!" It admitted seeming to be on the verge of panic.

"Do not panic, as long as the power sphere remains intact the ship will continue to function." He told the other as he too now looked towards the monitors "The damage thus far seems to be limited to the crews living quarters, but our pawns alone won't be enough, Geryuganshoop, my top lieutenants you, Groribas, and Melzalagald will destroy him, show him what we're made of." He ordered before turning around as to take his leave.

"Uh, Groribas has unfortunately just fallen sir." Geryuganshoop informed their leader causing him to stop.

"He what?" Lord Boros asked wanting to be certain he had heard his lieutenant correctly.

"But let me get Melzalgald back here! the two of us working together will wipe out the intruder without fail I assure you!" Geryuganshoop promised as the other turned back around and stared towards four monitors, which had the intruder's face upon them.

Not responding to his lieutenant's promise of success, Lord Boros simply kept silent and focused on nothing but the intruder's face.

* * *

More often than not the greatest stories ever covered or published by the news and press often times just land in their laps thanks to the effort of others or universal chance. A good example of this would be something like a drug bust done by the police or something more tame like a celebrity controversy, very few times have stories that people remember long after they're told have ever been a result of their own effort. And even now as the massive interstellar vessel of the extraterrestrial villains floats above the ruins of City A, despite their best efforts no news outlet was able to truly get all the details of what was transpiring. Thankfully they would soon come to thank Metal Knight for giving them exactly that.

"Are we almost live?" A female newscaster asked the crew as they were hurrying to get the broadcast started.

"We're almost there just a few more seconds and we'll be all set." One of the producers replied before suddenly stopping in his tracks "Wait what?" He asked as he put a hand to his headset, now speaking to the person on the other end of the com "Whoa whoa whoa HOLD ON EVERYONE!" He suddenly shouted causing them all to stop from surprise "We're getting a message from Metal Knight!" He revealed surprising them even more.

"Metal Knight?" "The S class hero?" "Could it be the association's official statement?" Were some of the few comments that could be heard among the boisterous chatter now taking place.

"Uh huh...uh huh...I see..." The Producer muttered in response into his com before focusing back on everyone else "Alright people! it seems Metal Knight is going to be giving us a live feed so let's get this going!" He told them with a circular gesture of his hand causing them to return to their work.

Now even more frantic than they were before everyone resumed what they were doing and soon had the broadcast ready to go.

"Alright this is it!" The Producer shouted as they all got ready "Three!...Two!...One!..." He counted down before signaling to the newscaster to begin.

Clearing her throat as their channel four news logo went first she then looked towards the camera as well as the teleprompter before speaking.

"Our top story above City A, a mysterious object has suddenly appeared and is hovering above the sky, we will now show you a direct live feed of the situation provided by the class S hero Metal Knight." She read from the prompter as the feed from the drones came up.

While those in their homes or perhaps businesses were of course able to see the feed as well her side by side on their televisions, in the studio she and the others had to look towards their own television meant for these situations in order to see what was going on. And the moment everyone's eyes landed upon the drones' feed they could not believe what they were witnessing. Due to the feed being made up of several different drones' perspectives and unique viewpoints of the situation as a whole, each feed was displayed in its own small square and they were all organized in a rectangular shape so to show absolutely every detail. From the ruins of the city, to the massive ship, and of course the battle raging on between the heroes and the alien creature, EVERYTHING was being shown without any kind of censorship or hindrance in either quality or closeness.

However as the feeds continue to go on and the people looked through them one in particular immediately began to draw attention, which of course was thanks to the person it was capturing. Running through the corridors of the alien vessel was of course One Punch Man, and as the feed showed him smashing and destroying everything in sight the once present fear and shock in the people's bodies was quickly replaced by excitement and rejoice.

"YEAH GO ONE PUNCH MAN!" "SHOW THOSE ALIEN BASTARDS WHO THEY'RE MESSING WITH!" "BRING ALL THE SHIPS YOU WANT AIN'T NOTHIN GONNA STOP ONE PUNCH MAN!" Were but a small few of the millions of cheers and screams of support coming from the populace of the world as they looked on to their hero.

Yet even with all of the citizens of the world now focusing solely on the feed showing off their strongest hero, there were some who were also watching this feed who had different reactions.

* * *

 _"O-Oh my god..."_ Hammerhead thought to himself as he, his wife, and his mother all sat around their table staring towards the television screen.

After his encounter with Saitama Hammerhead had quite the epiphany, no longer would he flock to a life of violence or crime but instead strive to reach and maintain a comfortable life for his family. However due to his time as a villain and thug finding work was quite challenging, despite the fact that he did in truth possess a fair amount of skills, nothing TOO impressive mind you but he was well above average so to say. But regardless of this streak of failed interviews he still tried without deterrence to find a steady job of some sort, feeling a new found dedication and determination be instilled within him all thanks to the "mercy" Saitama had shown him.

 _"All those people...just...gone..."_ He noted as he stopped writing another resume due to his focus on the broadcast _"Whoever these guys are, they better be ready to beg like they've never begged before, cause not even One Punch Man's THAT merciful..."_ He thought.

* * *

"GO GO SAITAMA GO GO SAITAMA!" Mutsuko cheered as she jumped up and down like a cheerleader.

Even though they were not useless by any means Doctor Genus had still made it clear his creations were not to accompany him to the S class meeting with Metal Knight, and by NO MEANS were they to get involved with whatever might happen as a result of said meeting. Of course though, once the broadcast went out they as well as all of the good doctor's clones flocked to the massive computer terminal to watch the broadcast, seeing as how it was basically a massive flat screen television.

"Mutsuko could you PLEASE calm down?!" Bunji asked with a sigh as he pointed towards the screen "We can barely hear what's going on with all of your cheering..." He told her which in turn caused her to stop and look at him with a glare.

"HEY! doctor Genus told us not to go there no matter what! so if I can't support Saitama in person then I am going to do so from here!" She replied pointing between the screen and the floor as she did.

"Yeah but we kinda have better senses than most people." Bunji argued as he pointed to his ears "So when you scream like that it's even more painful than it would be for a normal person." He said causing her to gasp.

"ARE YOU IMPLYING SOMETHING ABOUT MY VOICE?!" She questioned causing Kamakyuri to sigh.

"Would you both please just shut up?" He asked gaining both their attentions "I personally wasn't bothered by her cheering but I am DEFINITELY irritated with your arguing." He admitted as he crossed his arms.

"Hmph! Thank you Kamakyuri!" She said before looking back to Bunji "And as for you! if you don't like my cheering just go stand over there with some clones so it's not so close." She suggested before looking back to the screen.

Letting another sigh escape him Bunji while taking his leave of her presence walked over to Chikara and Atomu instead of elsewhere in the crowd of clones.

"I don't even know why you bothered standing over there, you knew she was gonna cheer." Atomu admitted as he reached them.

"I just wanted a better view is all." Bunji replied causing Chikara to cast him a confused look.

"Better view? the screen nearly takes up the whole freaking wall! how could any place in this room be a bad view?" He questioned.

Taking a moment to think on that Bunji admittedly didn't have an answer to the question causing him to simply remain silent and continue watching the feed.

* * *

Technology, even in the rapidly accelerating world we live in some people don't care for the latest innovation or invention, instead they care only for a simple life and simple things. Whether it be something light like a small house and few fancy electronics, or perhaps something a bit more "extreme" like an amish sort of life some people simply prefer it this way. Yet even with a good amount of people caring more about quiet and peace than technology and overall connectivity with the world, if there is but one thing EVERYONE has access to it would be a radio. Such is the case for a particular ninja who currently sits within his dojo polishing his blade all the while listening to the news broadcast currently happening.

"If somehow you have STILL not managed to get to television in order to watch this for yourselves, we will continue to describe to you the jaw dropping events currently happening within the alien ship!" The voice on the radio exclaimed before clearing his throat "As of now One Punch Man is without hesitation or restraint punching away at every wall, ceiling, and even some parts of the floor that he can find! yet despite all of this damage and all of the explosions, the ship still seems to be maintaining it's current altitude in the sky without issue!" He described as he was watching the feed from the station's television.

Slowly dragging the cloth held in his left hand across his blade one last time, Sonic turned the blade towards it side so it would be easier to check it for any remaining scuffs or dirt. Seeing what little light there was in the room managing to reflect off of the pristine condition of his sword, he could not keep a seemingly toothless jack o lantern like grin from appearing on his face.

 _"Finally..."_ He thought as his grip on the sword's handle tightened ever so slightly _"We'll have our rematch Saitama..."_ He decided.

* * *

"Oh man this is amazing!" A member of the Blizzard group exclaimed as they and the rest of the group watched the broadcast from their television.

Even though her sister told her to not come to the meeting and to just stay away where she would be safe, Fubuki never said she and her group wouldn't watch what was happening if it should make the news.

"You think he'll be alright miss Blizzard?" Mountain Ape asked as he looked to their leader causing her to look at him with a dumbfounded look.

"Of course he'll be okay!" She quickly answered "What would make you think he wouldn't be?" She questioned.

"It's just these guys are from outer space ya know, so maybe they've got like a really tough alien on their side." He replied.

"Hmm...true." Fubuki admitted as she looked back to the television "But no matter how strong their toughest person is, they're still no match for Saitama~" She said with a somewhat blissful sigh.

* * *

Heavy breathes escaped the lungs of Puri Puri Prisoner as he stood before the now damage riddled form of the alien creature, yet by no means was he actually tired or exhausted. But even with the creature now seeming to be lifeless thanks to the countless holes and missing pieces as a result of his barrage of blows, it still remained in an upright position not appearing to be on the verge of falling.

 _"He pummeled that thing with nothing but the power of his bare fists! that's a class S hero for you."_ Iaian noted as he watched on from a distance.

Unfortunately, despite the truly amazing effort of Puri Puri Prisoner the creature began to rapidly heal it's wounds yet again, it's sinister grin never faltering all the while.

"That won't do any good!" He cried out as he returned to a combat ready stance "It posses incredible regenerative powers!" He told them as the creature finished healing "And be sure not to let it hit any part of you, a single blow instantly tore my entire arm off!" He warned.

Now that it was fully restored the creature raised a fist towards them clearly readying an attack.

"Dodge it's attacks at all costs!" He advised just as the creature sent it's fist flying towards them.

"Let me give it a try." Bang suggested with a snap of his wrist as with impressive speed he moved in front of Puri Puri Prisoner and with no effort at all simply deflected the creature's attack with but a light block of his hand.

With the creature now open for attack Bang leapt towards it's mid section before dealing a powerful strike to the chest, the force alone being enough to send the creature flying a small distance backwards before hitting the ground. For the first time since this engagement had begun the creature's grin faltered as it began to return to it's feet and instead of it's over abundant pride and certainty it felt irritation and anger.

"Should we use a bombardment to finish of these humans?" It asked itself as a head suddenly grew out from the right side of it's own.

"Yes that is good." It replied looking towards the first head as it did.

"Contact the ship." The first head ordered causing the other to sprout bat like wings from it's sides.

"I will go." It assured as it separated itself from the other before taking off towards the ship.

With an expression that was nothing but unsettling the creature with due haste began to ascend. But before it was able to get high enough from the ground to where they would not be able to catch it, Metal Bat having noticed what happened leapt into the air and brought his bat down onto it's skull easily sending it down to the ground.

"Get back here!" He shouted as he made the swing watching as it bounced across the ground a small bit before stopping.

Landing on his feet not too far from where it had also landed the creature was quick to regain it's composure and resumed flying in the air, though this time just a small bit as to confront it's attacker. Yet once again before it was able to react in any way to the attack, Metal Bat was already upon it and with another devastating leaping blow smashed it with his weapon, this time possessing enough force to break it apart into multiple pieces.

"MIND YOUR MANNERS!" He shouted as he landed back to the ground holding his bat out from his side as he did "I hope you like mincemeat freak!" He taunted as he readied to attack again.

All the while this transpired the original head after returning to it's feet was ready to attack once more, only to be kept from doing so thanks to a voice only it could hear.

 _"Melzalgald what are you doing?!"_ Geryuganshoop questioned via telepathy.

 _"I'm in battle."_ Melzalgald simply replied through thought as it looked towards the ship.

 _"There's an intruder here!"_ Geryuganshoop exclaimed in a panic causing the other to fully focus on the ship with a shocked expression now present on it's face.

 _"That's ridiculous!"_ It simply replied once more.

 _"It's true! so hurry and finish them off and get back here immediately!"_ Geryuganshoop demanded right as another explosion erupted from the ship.

* * *

"Crap this one's locked too." Saitama noted as he lightly tugged at a door leading to a different hallway "Hey open the door! you've got a visitor!" He called out.

However, just as the door seemed to be giving in to his immense strength and was on the verge of being pulled from the wall, a small round drone suddenly flew out in front of him causing him to let go.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed as he took a step back.

"Do not be alarmed One Punch Man it is only me." The voice of Metal Knight spoke from the drone as it simply hovered in front of him.

"Oh hey Metal Knight, where's your robot?" Saitama asked as he looked down both ends of the corridor for the machine.

"It is still on the ground level helping in the effort to free trapped survivors, this is but one of the many surveillance drones it can deploy." He explained.

"Wait surveillance? does that mean you have the ship mapped out then?" Saitama asked.

"Yes and no." Metal Knight replied before a holographic projection of the ship suddenly came from the drone "You see I have but the one drone inside the ship at the moment, the others are still surveying the outside to try and identify any key areas or points that will aid in destroying the vessel faster." He explained as the projection suddenly changed to show the inside of the ship "But even with the limited data I have on the ship's inner workings as of right now, I am still able to get a basic mapping of it's corridors through the use of sonar pings." He revealed.

"So you can help me find the guy who's in charge then right?" Saitama asked.

"Again yes and no." Metal Knight repeated before focusing the projection on a few areas "As I said I can gather only the layout of the ship's passages and rooms, I cannot determine what exactly lies within each respectively, but if we are to go with the assumption that the leader would be in the largest space found in the vessel, then the best place to check first would be near the part of the ship where the helm would most likely be located." He explained.

"That does make sense." Saitama agreed as the projection went away "So which way is that exactly?" He asked.

"Through this door." Metal Knight answered as the drone turned around to look at it "It shouldn't take me but a few moments to open it so if you would-" He began to offer only to have Saitama cut him off with the door's destruction via a punch.

"There problem solved." He said as he walked through "Come on let's go!" He ordered as he continued on.

"Right...he can just punch his way through the ship..." Metal Knight said to himself as the drone followed and the while he "failed" to mention the fact that he was also being broadcast via the drone.

* * *

Back on the ground, as the major part of the creature was focused on dealing with Atomic Samurai, Bang, and Puri Puri Prisoner, the head which had separated was already reformed and focusing on Metal Bat.

"I know, I'll rip your limbs off and make you the ship mascot, that is good." It told him as it's wings grew back and it gained some height over him in the air.

Feeling his already present annoyance grow a slight bit more at this threat, Metal Bat quickly spit in his left hand before dual wielding his weapon.

"Put yourself together again huh?" He asked before leaping up for a third time and dealing another blow, this one only denting it slightly "I'll keep you for batting practice!" He shouted as he quickly followed up with another swing yet still the creature kept itself together.

While this seemingly endless cycle was underway, back with the other heroes their fight with the rest of the creature was also in full swing. Yet no matter how many precise strikes Bang landed, the several clean slashes Atomic Samurai made, and the multiple holes created from Puri Puri Prisoner's strikes, the creature continued to hold it's ground and showed no signs of actually being injured.

"Comrades! your direct physical attacks have no effect on it! all of our efforts have only been in vain!" Iaian called out from the sidelines as he watched them fight "Let's withdraw for now! there must be some other way to destroy it, like using heat!" He suggested seeming to be the only one thinking about this fight on a strategic level.

"Smashing is all I'm good at! forget it!" Metal Bat responded just as he landed another blow against the flying head sending it flying back to the ground.

"This is all I know as well! can't teach an old dog new tricks, my apologies." Bang replied as he shoved a hand into the creature's side.

"That goes for me too, sorry sweet Iaian." Puri Puri Prisoner apologized as he dealt another punch to the creature's shoulder.

"Iaian I'm disappointed! don't you have faith in me? there's nothing I can't cut!" Atomic Samurai told his disciple as he slashed upward through it's torso.

 _"It's pointless, these guys are used to coming out on top...they aren't the type to listen..."_ Iaian thought as the feeling of dread began to come over him.

Blow for blow attack for attack the creature continued to heal and heal without delay or issue, and while it was annoyed by their persistence and refusal to die it would be the returning voice of Geryuganshoop that would be the most annoying.

 _"Melzalgald! look I REALLY need you on the ship, getting rid of the intruder takes priority!"_ Geryuganshoop exclaimed with urgency desperate for the other's help.

 _"I'd love to but I'm still busy down here, these creatures are persistent."_ It replied as it simply walked about healing and swatting away the heroes.

"You've got to be kidding! the lifeforms down there are proving tough to handle too? what the hell's with this place?!" Geryuganshoop wondered aloud but thanks to his telekinetic capabilities was able to ensure the other heard it as well.

 _"Nothing tough about them, what's the ship's status is it going down or what?"_ It asked as it continued to stomp about.

"It's not going down, but more than half the crew have been killed by this intruder." Geryuganshoop answered not bothering to continue speaking through thought.

 _"There's no way!"_ It thought in disbelief stopping in it's tracks as another series of blows made contact with it _"I need to end this fast then, begin cleansing my location with a bombardment from the ship!"_ It ordered.

"Like I said I've got my hands full right now! besides artillery bombardment's the job of the lower ranks..." Geryuganshoop replied as it raised one of it's tendrils to it's mouth.

 _"Well I'm in a situation where I can't return on board."_ It causally stated seeing no point for furthering arguing.

"Alright fine, I'll notify the artillery crews of your predicament, but don't you get caught up in the barrage understood?" Geryuganshoop asked as it moved to a nearby console to get things underway.

"Wait! hold on a second!" It exclaimed though this time verbally as it looked back to the ship.

Unfortunately for the creature it's focus would immediately be pulled back to it's attackers as it's head was sliced horizontally in half. But thanks to it's ability to split itself up when need be as it's body continued to fight the top half of it's head which had been separated from the attack flew towards the ship a small distance before continuing the conversation.

 _"You should come down here and help me, that'd be a much faster solution!"_ It reasoned _"Hey, Geryuganshoop!"_ It called out after a few seconds of no response _"Damn him, just how tough is this intruder?"_ It wondered before returning to the rest of it's body.

Meanwhile with Metal Bat and it's other head, to no surprise they were still doing the exact same thing of him smashing it to pieces and it regenerating only so he could smash it again. However, as he smashed it to bits for the fifth time now he noticed something floating among them that caught his attention.

"More attacks, it is good that you're exhausting yourself." It told him as it began to reform.

But before it's head was even halfway complete Metal Bat with haste lunged for the object that had caught his eye and manged to grab it.

"What the hell is this?" He questioned as he held it tightly in his fist.

Now fully restored the head looked towards him to see what he was referring to, only to have it's eyes widen in shock. Opening his hand to see what it was up close it seemed to be some kind of light bluish marble, the kind you could find in any store that would sell them.

"A marble, why've you got one of these?" He asked.

Feeling anger and panic quickly take hold the head without thinking rushed towards him fully intent on finally killing him.

"GIVE IT BACK!" It demanded.

"Alright here ya go!" He replied as he tossed it into the air before smashing it to smithereens with his bat.

Upon doing so the creature suddenly halted in it's approach before immediately disintegrating into a pile of ash and waste. Of course being shocked by this sudden revelation Metal Bat hurried over to the pile to get a better look stopping a few feet away just to be safe.

"Whoa! that's nasty ya nasty bastard! you dead?" He asked as he looked it over pretty sure it was in fact deceased "Hey! I just discovered something! this guy's got a marble thing inside'em, destroy it and they die!" He exclaimed as he turned back towards the others.

Seeming to take everyone even the creature by surprise, while a look of horror seemed to adorn it's face a newfound confidence adorned the heroes.

"Hey nice work." Atomic Samurai complimented before turning back towards the creature "So I just have to slice away at you until I hit this final marble he's talking about." He said as he leapt towards it readying to strike.

Simply standing there and allowing itself to be sliced away at by the other, the creature was currently in a state of shock at how these lifeforms were somehow the first ones to ever figure out how to defeat it.

 _"Impossible! I've been growing that head for a hundred years! and it got killed in this dump?!"_ It wondered as it looked towards the ship _"Either way you scum are dead when the shells hit, they're coming and there's nothing you can do to stop them!"_ It thought before putting all of it's focus back on the fight.

* * *

"Look's like they're finally making some progress down there." Child Emperor noted as he and the others who were still on the roof not only watched the feed from Saitama but also the fight down below.

As for how they were even able to watch the feed from the rooftop, the simple answer to that is Child Emperor's backpack was not just the housing compartment for some robotic spider legs but also a great deal of other technology which he could use as he wished, how this was even physically possible given the size and supposed space of the bag no one was willing to find out.

"We could help them." Genos suggested only to receive a dismissive shake of the head from King.

"Believe me, if we try to get in the way now they'll just get mad and say we thought they were weak and turn on us instead." He said as he looked down at them "...Well...maybe not Bang and Puri Puri...but the other two most definitely." He corrected.

"I'm surprised you haven't gotten involved Tornado." Superalloy Blackluster admitted as he turned to face her.

"Like I said I'm giving Saitama five minutes." She replied as she was only focused on the feed "He's got three minutes and fourteen seconds left." She noted as she crossed her legs while hovering in the air.

* * *

"Alright, take a left up here." Metal Knight directed as the drone followed behind Saitama.

Thanks to the other's guidance through the labyrinth that was this ship's interior, Saitama felt as though he was finally making real progress towards the big bad of the aliens.

"What do you think he'll be like?" He asked as he ran wanting to fill the silence between them with some hopefully pleasant conversation.

"It's impossible to even guess, so far from both the corpses you've left behind us as well as the life form on the ground it seems as though the crew of this vessel is incredible diverse, no doubt possessing species from several different worlds and galaxies." Metal Knight responded.

"Huh, guess that's true." Saitama agreed "Still I hope he's not like those cartoon aliens, you know the little green ones." He said.

"That would be disappointing indeed." Metal Knight agreed.

Suddenly without warning Saitama stopped dead in his tracks causing the drone to run right into the back of his head.

"Is something wrong?" Metal Knight asked as he easily stabilized it so it wouldn't hit the ground.

 _"Intruder, this is your last chance! leave immediately o-or we'll be forced to send every soldier we have at you!"_ A voice only Saitama could hear threatened, though due to it's somewhat shaky state it was clear it was nervous.

"That's weird, I can hear a voice inside my head." Saitama said as he stuck a finger in his ear and turned it a bit as to clear it out.

"Hmm...it could be a form of telepathy, similar to what Tornado uses." Metal Knight suggested.

 _"This is your last chance! take one more step and you're dead!"_ It threatened him again yet still because of the shakiness it wasn't really threatening.

"It's saying I should leave, otherwise I'll be dead." Saitama relayed to the other causing him to chuckle.

"Seriously? you've already destroyed most of their ship and have killed every single creature sent to intercept you, what could they possibly have that would have any chance of hurting you, let alone kill you?" Metal Knight questioned.

"Eh you never know, they are from space after all." Saitama said with a shrug before looking towards the ceiling "Sorry to tell you...whoever you are, but I'm not leaving the ship till I deal with your boss." He told the voice before looking back to the drone "Speaking of, where to from here?" He asked.

"Keep going down this corridor, take a left, then a right, and then keep going straight until we reach what seems to be the largest room in the ship." Metal Knight instructed.

"Alright sounds good." Saitama replied before continuing in his light jog.

* * *

"W-Wait! stop! don't take another step further!" Geryuganshoop said to the intruder, only to be met with complete silence as he was probably just ignoring him now "DAMN IT! he's headed straight for Lord Boros!" He exclaimed as he looked at a map of the ship on one of the monitors "But then again...if anyone can kill this intruder it would be Lord Boros..." He reasoned deciding that if this intruder was determined to get himself killed he might as well just sit back and let him.

"Sir we've just received a message from the artillery, the bombardment is nearly ready, should he proceed as planned?" A member of the crew asked as he looked over his shoulder towards him.

"Of course he should! make sure to wipe them out completely this time though! we don't want any more intruders!" Geryuganshoop replied causing the other to turn around and repeat the command to the artillery "Hopefully Melzalgald won't get himself killed..." He said beneath his breath before refocusing on the intruder.

* * *

Meanwhile, as both Saitama and the other heroes were dealing with this alien threat the association of course was also doing all that they were able given the circumstances. But seeing as how they weren't really able to offer any support for the heroes in the form of tactical aid or even battle analysis given the amount of unknowns there were, they were only able to focus on helping survivors across all of City A's ruins.

"Get those people inside right away!" Bearded Worker directed as other employees rushed any injured found into the building on gurneys.

"We have an issue." The voice of Sitch said to him via his headset gaining his attention.

"What is it sir?" He asked pressing it to is ear as to drown out all of the noise around him.

"Child Emperor just informed us that the ship's energy levels are rapidly rising, meaning it's more than likely readying another attack." Sitch answered causing the other's eyes to widen.

"What should we do about the civilians?" He asked.

"Recall the search and rescue teams for now, have everyone find shelter and take cover, you'll be under serious fire soon!" Sitch warned.

Upon hearing this Bearded Worker took a moment to look out at the ruined city before him and even though every fiber of his being was telling him to continue on to try and help any survivors still out there, he had to consider the people around him too. Unknown to him however just a few miles away from the building further into the ruins, a man weak and exhausted from having made his way up through the rumble was doing all he could to try and make it there. Sadly due to his state he was only able to take a few more steps before collapsing to the ground, unable to lift so much as an arm in hopes of crawling to safety. Coughing but a slight bit due to the dust in his lungs, the man simply laid there hoping to regain some of his strength but soon heard the sound of what seemed to be a bike approaching him from behind.

Able to turn his head just enough to look over his shoulder he felt his eyes widen in surprise and joy at the sight that met him. Pedaling towards him was none other than well know top ranking C class hero Mumen Rider and within but a few seconds he came to a stop before him holding out a hand as he did.

"Hop on!" Mumen Rider said to him with a smile clearly there to help him and any other survivors.

Feeling a smile of his own come to his face, the man with a new found surge of energy was able to get back on his knees and grab onto the other's hand where he was then pulled to his feet and helped onto the bike.

"Hold on!" Mumen Rider told him as he immediately began to pedal wanting nothing more than to get this man to safety before coming back out here to save more survivors.

* * *

"Only two heads left, I'll bust those suckers wide open!" Metal Bat exclaimed as he stood between Bang and Atomic Samurai.

After both revealing the creature's weakness and killing the head he was occupied with, Metal Bat rejoined the others in their attack against the rest of it resulting in two of the four remaining heads being swiftly destroyed. However unknown to the four heroes the creature was truly no longer concerned with the engagement as it was awaiting the bombardment from the ship.

"Is it time yet?" One of the heads asked aloud as they both looked upwards.

"Ship bombardment coming quite soon." The other replied.

And sure enough, within the bowels of the ship the lone alien in charge of the bombardment had finished locking onto his position and was fully ready to attack.

"Oh there they are." The creature said as it leaned back, it's appearance seeming to be some weird combination of a multi eyed squid and a child's imagination gone rampant "Well bye bye problems." It said as it pressed the button to launch the shells.

Back on the ground the heroes all felt their eyes widen in shock as countless purple lights suddenly shined from the ship followed by a shell shooting out from each. Feeling two grins come to both of it's heads the creature simply looked towards them with it's arms held out.

"It's over." "You will die, there is no escape." The two heads said as the shells closed in.

Uncertain as to what they should do or what they even could do or what they even could do, the four heroes could not pry their gazes away from the rapidly approaching death. But just as it seemed all hope for their survival was lost, the shells suddenly stopped dead in their tracks and were enveloped in a green aura.

"You muscle heads would be dead without me, can't you finish one small fry?" Tatsumaki asked them as she stood behind them, gaining their attentions "Maybe you should try starting over from class C." She told them as she started levitating to the air "Hey aliens, take your shells back." She said as with but a dismissive gesture of her arms she sent each shell with even greater speed and power back to where they came from.

Everyone who watched on from the heroes on the ground and the rooftop, to the employees in the building, and of course the people of the world able to witness such a thing thanks to Metal Knight felt their jaws draw at such power and skill displayed by her. As for the aliens however, if the intruder who was currently running around destroying everything hadn't instilled fear within their souls yet this counter attack sure enough did, starting with the one in charge of the bombardment.

"I wanna go home..." It said as a look of dread and fear appeared on it's face.

With the threat of the attack now successfully dealt with and both the heroes as well as the survivors were no longer in danger, the rescue teams led by Bearded Worker were able to continue in their searches and treatments the survivors, yet much to his surprise they were not the only ones doing so.

"I had no idea you were here, thanks a lot Mumen Rider." He said as he turned to face the hero after seeing the man he brought with was taken inside.

"I know there are more survivors, where should I look? narrowing the search area will save more lives." Mumen Rider asked not wanting to waste any time.

"I'm not sure if you-" Bearded Worker began to say only to be cut off by the other.

"I'm ready to rescue them right now!" He assured.

"Sounds like a plan, we wanna know too." A voice said from their left gaining both of their attentions.

Looking to the voice's owner both Mumen Rider and Bearded Worker were shocked to see the A class heroes Stinger and Lightning Max standing before them.

"Yeah, can't let this guy hog the limelight." Lightning Max said as he crossed his arms.

"It's Stinger and Lightning Max..." Bearded Worker said in disbelief as he wouldn't have expected any heroes that weren't S class to have shown up.

"So, can we borrow this?" Stinger asked as he patted the military jeep that was parked next to them.

Unable to keep a smile from coming to his face Bearded Worker had no words to describe the relief and joy that filled him at the sight of these three heroes willingness to help. And while the remains of the city as well as the survivors no longer had to worry about a bombardment coming down on top of them, unfortunately there was still the matter of the alien creature who was still fighting Bang, Metal Bat, Puri Puri Prisoner, and Atomic Samurai. With a hellish roar of frustration and anger the creature changed it's arms into multiple sharpened appendages, which then shot out towards the heroes with incredible speed and power. Despite this though both Metal Bat and Puri Puri Prisoner were able to not only deal with them with ease, but were also able to keep them from attacking the other two which was in truth mostly due to Puri Puri Prisoner as he had grabbed onto most of them.

"Nice catch!" Bang complimented as he hopped onto one bundle of limbs before proceeding to run up it.

With his own great speed and power Bang quickly reached one of the heads and with but a simple strike through it's left eye he manged to grab it's specific marble.

"I found it, begone!" He exclaimed as he easily crushed it between his fingers and thumb "Only one left!" He noted as he landed on a destroyed pillar.

However, before he was able to move or do anything else the creature in response to the loss of another head simply lashed out at him with it's right arm sending him flying from the pillar and through multiple buildings.

"They got Silver Fang!" Atomic Samurai shouted with widened eyes.

"No...a direct hit..." Iaian muttered in horror as he stared towards the seemingly limp form of Silver Fang hanging from the building he stopped in.

"Ah ha ha ha! weak! weak! you are all so very weak!" The creature taunted as it turned it's focus back to the remaining heroes "Dead after a single hit, a change of tactics was all I needed, if I forget about defense and focus on my attacks this will all be over quickly, you're next swordsman!" It assured as it now loomed over Atomic Samurai "I will spring past that blade and squeeze your skull till it pops!" It threatened as it began to change it's form.

"If you think you can do it then be my guest..." He simply replied as a new found rage began to creep into his form.

* * *

Despite the ship being infiltrated, despite most of the crew being dead, and despite the ship being bombarded with it's own shells, their leader still sat atop of his throne not seeming to be by bothered by any of it. Yet as he sat there simply staring towards the massive door that led to the connecting corridor outside, he could feel something approaching rather quickly.

"He's come." He said to himself as his stare grew a slight bit more intense.

True to his word, just beyond the door by twenty feet or so was indeed Saitama with Metal Knight's drone following right behind. And while with any other person Metal Knight would try and reason with them to do their best from destroying too much of the ship, he knew all to well that the only way they were going to open that door was for Saitama to simply punch it to pieces.

"The sonar is detecting something in there and my energy scanners are also detecting two sources of power, one seems to be powering the ship while the other belongs to the entity found on the sonar." He said.

"Then I guess this is it." Saitama simply replied as he suddenly jumped into the air.

Stopping the drone in it's tracks Metal Knight watched as Saitama headed straight towards the door and with one punch dealt to it's surface once he reached it, it as expected exploded into countless pieces. Landing with no issue on the other side, Saitama waited for the drone to catch up to him before continuing on and by doing so remained in a pose that was both heroic as well as epic.

* * *

"OH MY GOD HE LOOKS SO COOL!" "NOW WE'RE TALKING! TIME TO SHOW THESE ALIEN ASSHOLES WHO THEY'RE MESSING WITH!" "GO GET'EM ONE PUNCH MAN WE BELIEVE IN YOU!" Were but a small few cheers being shouted across the world as everyone watched their hero stand before the alien leader.

* * *

 _"The finest warrior this planet has to offer, I can sense no limit to his energy."_ Lord Boros thought to himself as he rose from his throne.

"Are you the boss man of these invaders?" Saitama asked resuming his usual laid back posture, wanting to be certain they had found the right person.

"Wonderful." Lord Boros began which caught not only Saitama off guard but Metal Knight and the rest of the world as well "Before we fight let us exchange names, I lead the pirate band known as Dark Matter and I am the dominator of the universe, my name is Boros." He greeted.

"I am the world's strongest hero Saitama." Saitama greeted in return.

"Saitama..." Lord Boros simply repeated as his eye widened, seeming to get excited from that.

"Look dude I don't know what the denominator of the universe wants with earth but you sure did make a mess out of City A." Saitama Replied.

And even though Metal Knight, Genos, King, and a few others knew the mistake of his title wasn't some sort of clever jab or joke, the rest of the world however thought otherwise.

"What I want with Earth?" Lord Boros questioned as he began his descent from his throne towards Saitama "There exists a prophecy." He began once more.

"A prophecy, what do you mean?" Saitama questioned confused by what he meant.

"I was once a traveler exploring the universe ravaging everything in sight, but I was too strong eventually I found there were none left that could face me, I came to know total and encompassing boredom." He recounted as he got closer "Then one day, a great seer told me that somewhere on a faraway planet a being exists who IS my match, one who could rekindled my passion for battle." He continued as he was now done with the stairs and began to walk towards Saitama "That was twenty years ago, have you any concept of the distance I've traveled to get here?" He questioned as he stopped right in front of the other "My men thought the prophecy was a ruse a fairy tale made up to focus my attention and lure me away." He admitted as his gaze instantly changed from seemingly eager to scarily intense "But now I am certain it was true, come and give stimulation to my existence! that is why I am here!" He concluded.

It would not be even a second after he finished speaking before Saitama without even moving a single inch from where he stood delivered a punch with his left hand directly to Lord Boros's chest, sending him flying across the room into a massive pillar which was but one of seemingly endless rows.

"Are you an idiot? you can't just go around attacking other planets to liven up your boring little life, even telemarketers wouldn't think of something that dumb." He told him.

Even though his face and expression hadn't change in the slightest the rest of the world was a far different story. From cheering to literally leaping with joy the people of the world were over ecstatic of their hero's triumph though of course the heroes were also a far different story.

* * *

"Oh man that was awesome!" Child Emperor exclaimed as he gripped his lollipop "He just sent the guy flying!" He added.

"Of course he did! ain't no one capable of surviving a punch from THE One Punch Man!" Superalloy Blackluster chimed in.

"Hmph, took him long enough." Tatsumaki commented even though on the inside she was admittedly proud and happy of Saitama.

"Incredible, even beings from other worlds cannot withstand his strength!" Genos noted with an amazed expression.

"Wow." King simply said as he still wasn't used to seeing just how powerful Saitama could be.

* * *

"YEAH WOOHOO! WAY TO GO SAITAMA!" Mutsuko cheered as she jumped up and down.

Even though she was by far the loudest and most expressive of them all, the others both the clones and other creations were also cheering and clapping out of amazement.

"Man he really is strong..." Chikara muttered as he looked down at his hands "Maybe if I get control over my carnage mode, I could be as strong as him..." He suggested.

"That was just a light punch, he didn't even put any real power behind it." Kamakyuri noted as he closed his eyes to think for a moment _"If Metal Knight and the doctor's limiter theory is true, then I don't even want to think about what that ninja could become..."_ He thought before reopening his eyes.

* * *

"Did you see that?! the guy shot off like a rocket!" A member of the blizzard group exclaimed as they too were of course cheering and rejoicing.

Even though she of course had complete faith in Saitama Fubuki was secretly relieved that there was no actual threat to him.

 _"Well I guess that settles that then..."_ She thought as a somewhat giddy expression became present on her face _"Saitama's not just the world's strongest hero, but the UNIVERSE'S strongest hero~"_ She mused.

* * *

"Everyone seems to be cheering for you." Metal Knight informed Saitama causing him to look back at the drone.

"Huh? what do you mean?" He asked but soon began to put two and two together "Wait...have you been broadcasting me to everyone?" He questioned.

"I didn't think you would mind." Metal Knight simply answered as the drone looked around the room "Besides it's not like you're not used to it or anything, and in all honesty the drones were in fact originally just meant for surveying the ship, the broadcast was just a pleasant bonus." He reasoned.

However, before they could continue their conversation or the world could continue it's cheering and celebrations, as the smoke from the impact of Lord Boro's body began to clear and he was able to be seen embedded, they would all come to a sudden stop as if time itself had been frozen. Slowly but surely Lord Boro's body began to move and before they knew it he was freed from his place within the pillar and was back to his feet. Even Saitama who had also just assumed the other had been killed was surprised at what was happening, though where he was simply surprised the rest of the world was more so going into a state of shock. Then as if things couldn't get any more unbelievable Lord Boro's armor suddenly shattered into countless pieces which fell to the floor around him.

"This set of armor which was used to seal my immeasurable and irresistible power has now been broken." He spoke seeming to be completely fine.

"Okay." Saitama simply replied having the most blank and bored expression quickly taking place of the former somewhat surprised look.

With but only grunts now escaping him Lord Boros drew his arms close to his chest and hunched over as something seemed to be happening to him. Slowly his light bluish skin began turn into a far darker shade and along all of his joints and knuckles spikes were sprouting from his body. Soon energy the likes of which neither Metal Knight nor anyone else had ever seen began to in a emit from him causing a strong wind to blow in all directions. Yet even with this sudden transformation happening right before his eyes Saitama maintained his blank expression, not seeming to care about what was happening at all.

"IT IS TIME!" Lord Boros shouted as he looked towards Saitama before suddenly rushing towards him.

Knowing well if he were to stay close to Saitama his drone would be destroyed, Metal Knight had it swiftly retreat to an incredibly far safe distance so to keep the broadcast going. This would prove to be the smartest thing he could've done as the moment Lord Boros reached Saitama he sent fourth a punch that would be easily blocked by the other, resulting in a massive dispersal of winds that were comparable to a tornado. This would only be Lord Boro's opener however as he immediately followed up with a rapid series of blows to Saitama's left arm which was all he was using to block the attacks. Seeing that this was getting him nowhere Lord Boro's concluded the combo with one powerful strike which was enough to send Saitama flying a good distance towards the other end of the room, to which Lord Boros would follow to continue his assault.

"This is insane!" Metal Knight said to himself as he did his best to follow with the drone "I'll need to get the other drones if I want to make sure I don't lose them!" He decided as he sent the order for all the drones to come to this one's location.

In the few moments he had looked away to issue the order Saitama and Lord Boros had left the floor and were now fighting in the air, with the means for Saitama's place in the air being solely the force impacting him from each of the other's attacks. Both however would soon part ways and land on two pillars that were across from one another, but this would not last long as they leapt off of them and head right back towards each other though this time Saitama had an attack ready. Trading a quick blow that the world almost could not see, both men then landed back on the floor with their backs to each other. And while of course Saitama seemed to have no injuries at all Lord Boros on the other hand lost his entire right arm, which to any other hero would illicit a cheer or reaction from those that watched on but for Saitama it only brought them more shock as it meant he had just survived a SECOND punch!

"Even though my true power's been unleashed on you, somehow you're still able to keep up!" Lord Boros exclaimed as he turned to face the other.

"Yup." Saitama simply replied as he turned to face him as well, his fist now held out in front of him "You're tough, cool." He complimented.

* * *

Even though MOST of the world was currently in a coma like state due to their shock at what they were witnessing, Atomic Samurai and the other heroes on the ground were not a part of it as they were still occupied with other matters. Slash for slash Atomic Samurai traded blows with the creature as it continued to heal what was cut off and replace it with more sharpened blade like appendages, yet despite it's numerous attack he dodged them with grace and ease as if they were nothing.

"Bastard, you sure are making things interesting around here." He said as he leapt back to the sides of Metal Bat and Puri Puri Prisoner.

"I'm beginning to taste victory!" It taunted as it brought it's arms across it's chest ready to begin attacking once more.

"Ah that's better, the stiffness in my shoulders is gone, must be a little rusty." Bang noted as he approached, doing a few light stretches as he did.

Upon hearing his voice both the creature and the heroes looked to find a now shirtless Bang coming to rejoin the fight, and while the heroes were of course overjoyed their comrade wasn't dead the creature was utterly baffled.

"No...how can you still be alive?!" It questioned as it now turned to face him.

This would prove to be it's most fatal mistake as with but just a second of lapsed focus Atomic Samurai moved behind it and readied his sword.

"Hey." He spoke as to regain it's attention "Forgetting something?" He asked before unleashing countless slashes to it's body "Atomic Slash!" He shouted once the attack was done.

Upon it's completion the creature's body exploded into pieces and dust but as expected began to swirl around in order to regenerate.

"Insolence...such INSOLENCE!" It shouted in anger.

"You move that hard marble thing around your body in order to hide it's location." Bang casually said as he walked through the swirling storm that was the creature's destroyed body "But your regeneration process always begins with your head, therefore in the center of that must lie your heart!" He exclaimed as he sent a piercing jab upward managing to go straight through the creature's somewhat reformed head "After seeing it so much even a monkey could figure it out see?" He admitted as he held the marble in his fingers "Checkmate." He added as he crushed it.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The creature shouted as it broke soon followed by the head as well as the rest of it's former body turning into the pile of ashy muck that the other heads had.

With their enemy now finally defeated Bang took a moment to dust himself off to make sure none of that residue was on his body. While he did so Iaian even with his arm still bleeding a fair bit ran over to make certain he was okay.

"Silver Fang!" He exclaimed as he reached him.

"All I needed was one more swing." Atomic Samurai commented as he disciple looked over the elderly hero "Keep your hands to yourself and let me finish what I start Silver Fang." He told the other as he sheathed his sword.

"My goodness, I really need to do more full body workouts." Bang said to himself seeming to ignore Atomic Samurai.

"We got all of the heads, that was the last one, victory is ours!" Puri Puri Prisoner exclaimed as he held his fists up in celebration.

"Yeah but there's that big ass ship up there to deal with." Metal Bat Pointed out as he rested his weapon on his shoulders "If anything One Punch Man's probably up there taking care of it right now." He admitted.

* * *

"Okay, I think this is the last of the reported survivors." Lightning Max noted as he and Stinger were currently attending to an injured woman "Let's go." He said as Stinger helped her to her feet.

With the jeep that Bearded Worker gave them the trio of heroes were able to get all the remaining survivors which weren't being helped by the rest of S class rounded up and ready to be taken back.

"Hey Mumen, quit your staring and come on!" Lightning Max called as the other was just standing there with his bike looking towards the ship.

"Right, coming!" Mumen Rider replied as he began walking over with his bike in tow _"I wonder if Saitama's up there?"_ He thought.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Lord Boros shouted as he even with one arm forced Saitama to go on the defensive.

After their exchange of words the two quickly resumed their combat which could only be described by any who saw it as two high speeding flashes of white and neon pink flying across the air. And even with the blows dealt by Lord Boros, the countless pillars and even walls being destroyed by their conflict, Saitama simply took each and every hit as if it were nothing. But just as he was sent into another pillar, instead of following up with another punch or even a series of punches Lord Boros used an incredibly powerful kick to send him through both the pillar as well as the wall behind it, leading them both into a new area entirely. Now dodging his way up a massive column neither combatant showed any sign of growing tired or even some kind of pain from the blows being dealt.

Soon due to the sheer raw power of their attacks explosions began to occur around them without them actually touching the walls themselves, this would continue on as they ascended in a spiral like fashion until they reached the space's ceiling and went through it. Now outside and on the top of the ship the two once more separated themselves from each other landing about ten feet from the other.

"Nice moves! as I thought you are strong! of all the myriad beings I've fought thus far only you have survived this long!" Lord Boros praised as a blue pillar of energy enveloped him, only to receive a blank stare in response "Now to release the destructive energy held within me! any normal creature hit by it would find even their bones vaporized!" He warned as he shot a massive beam from his chest towards Saitama.

Thankfully due to the order he sent all of the drones were already in multiple positions around the ship, allowing them to get every possible angle of this fight including one that showed Saitama simply stand there and take the beam head on. With destructive power and force that not even Metal Knight's entire arsenal of missiles and weapons could match the beam destroyed any structures that were atop of the ship in it's direction. Yet still as fires from the attack raged on around them Saitama stood upright with the only damage done to him being his cape which was now torn and tattered.

"BEHIND YOU!" Lord Boros shouted as he suddenly dashed to his backside before dealing a blow to his face.

The blow even with it just being a simple punch was able to generate enough force to cause an actual tornado, and while it was small and only last a second or two it was strong enough to clear away all the fires around them leaving the area enveloped in smoke.

"You were a worthy opponent, but the outcome of this battle is clear." Lord Boros said after having moved back in front of Saitama "My species won the struggle for survival amid the harsh environment of our home world, we possess the ultimate in regenerative abilities and I in particular have the god like traits of self healing, physical prowess, and latent energy beyond your conception, a wound that would be fatal on your heals for me in mere moments." He explained as his right shoulder began to twitch only to soon be followed by a completely new arm seeming to sprout from it's wound like a budding plant "By focusing my energy on my destroyed arm I can exponentially speed up the healing process!" He exclaimed as he showed it off "Good as new, you on the other hand will only get injured more, all the while your stamina gradually decreases-"

"Shut up." Saitama spoke cutting him off.

"Hm?" Lord Boros sounded surprised by the interruption.

"Blah blah blah! you're boring me out of my mind." He said with a glare "Are you finished?" He asked.

Upon hearing this Lord Boros with a clench of his fists began to build up more energy as Saitama's words seemed to spur him on.

"Not yet!" He answered as his skin once more was changing color along with his hair both becoming pure white "Meteoric burst!" He shouted as he charged towards Saitama.

Being caught off guard by a slight bit due to the speed Lord Boros now possessed Saitama wasn't able to dodge the punch the other delivered to his face. And while the punch itself already was immensely powerful the shock wave it created began to destroy the ship was over it like a tidal wave of pure death. Countless members of his crew unaware of the fight happening above them soon found themselves swallowed by the fiery death except for one. Inside the control center of the ship Geryuganshoop was shielding himself with his telekinetic power, but even then it was only barely providing safety from the power of their leader.

"THIS IS INSANE!" He shouted in panic as he was surrounded by fire "IF HE DOESN'T GET CONTROL OF HIMSELF THE WHOLE SHIP WILL BE DESTROYED!" He added as he struggled to maintain the barrier.

As for Saitama however while he had not been killed nor even injured by the attack or it's shock wave, the force was strong enough to send him flying through the wave itself allowing Lord Boros to unleash another combo attack. Punches, kicks, elbows, and knee jabs came at Saitama from all sides as thanks to his speed Lord Boros was able to attack from nearly every conceivable angle as they traveled. And travel they did for they were still flying across the ship's top destroying numerous structures and parts, none of which slowed down their speed.

"The energy sent forth from my body transforms into a propelling force! elevating speed and power to beyond limitation of living flesh!" Lord Boros shouted as he slammed Saitama down towards the ship.

But before he could even get within fifty feet of the ship Lord Boros using his speed managed to get below him and by increasing it even more he met Saitama in the air delivering one final blow, a knee to his abdomen. What happened next no one not even Metal Knight or Doctor Genus could describe, a phenomenon in which Lord Boros and Saitama were enveloped in a black hole like energy that sent forth raging lightning striking different parts of the ship each second, but it would only last a few seconds as that was all it took for Lord Boros to complete the attack and send Saitama flying upwards into the sky. But due to the speed as well as the power of the attack it didn't just send him to the sky but through the atmosphere, clear into space, and into the moon, the impact being so great that even without a feed of the moon the whole world could see it even during the day. And as for the people's reactions to this the sight of their strongest hero being sent into the moon with but a single blow, none of them knew HOW to react.

"D-Did he just..." "N-No it can't be..." "This...this isn't...how..." Were some of the quiet muttered words of the world's populace as they stared at their television screens in disbelief.

* * *

"One Punch Man..." Child Emperor said quietly as he and the other heroes, both those on the rooftop as well as the ground stared up towards the sky.

"He...he's up there..." Superalloy Blackluster said as it was all he could say.

"Could he survive that?..." Genos asked even finding Saitama's seemingly godlike durability to be at it's limit.

"Of course he is! nothing can hurt him!" Tatsumaki assured even though she too possessed a look of uncertainty "Isn't that right baldy?..." She asked softly to herself.

"Saitama..." King simply said in a hushed tone as much similar to one's life flashing before their eyes memories of him and Saitama hanging flashed before his.

* * *

"SAITAMA?!" Mutsuko shouted as everyone else had gone quiet "HE'S OKAY RIGHT?! HE'S PERFECTLY FINE RIGHT?!" She asked looking around to someone for an answer.

But no matter who she looked to for some sort of comfort or confirmation Mutsuko found everyone to have a look of worry on their faces.

"One Punch Man's stronger than any other human being..." Kamakyuri said as he stared wide eyed at the screen "But even someone like him...has to have some kind of breaking point...right?" He questioned.

* * *

Silence gripped the blizzard group as they all stared at the television with their jaws dropped and their eyes widened, all except for their leader.

 _"Saitama..."_ Fubuki thought as she gripped the arms of her chair _"You're okay right?...you're...okay?..."_ She repeated as worry was quickly taking over her emotions.

* * *

Even though the people of earth were more worried than they had ever been, as for Saitama besides the lack of air given he was in space he simply just laid there in the moon looking back at the planet. Knowing well that he couldn't just lay there even though he WAS on the moon, Saitama after getting up to his feet and testing the gravity a small bit nodded his head before squatting down and jumping, all the while not a single sound was made. Back on earth the people's attentions while still focused and concerned for their hero were back to looking at the drones' feed of Lord Boros, as after all that it seemed like he was still perfectly fine and was only a slight bit winded, meaning for the one moment another explosion occurred on the moon from Saitama's jump they had missed it.

 _"This places enormous stress on the body similar to anaerobic exercise, as a result it shortens my life."_ He thought to himself as he entered a battle stance _"Therefore it should only be used as a trump card to settle fight's as quickly as-"_

Without warning, a sonic boom, or any other indication of what was about to happen Saitama suddenly crashed down onto the ship in front of Lord Boros causing a massive explosion. All drones' cameras immediately focused on the hero and managed to catch the exact moment he made contact which made him look simply badass. However before any cheers or reactions could come from those who watched on the power of his landing was so great it actually made the ship which hadn't moved a single inch begin to tilt towards the ground. It was THEN that everyone properly reacted to what they had just seen.

"HE'S ALIVE HOLY SHIT!" "HE DID IT! HE JUMPED ALL THE WAY FROM THE FREAKING MOON!" "DID YOU SEE THAT EXPLOSION?! THAT WAS JUST FROM HIS LANDING!" Were some of the shouts and cheers resuming once more as the people of the world had all of their worries and concerns just disappear.

* * *

"HE'S OKAY!" Child Emperor shouted as a huge smile appeared on his face "AND THAT LANDING! THAT WAS SO COOL!" He added.

"OH YEAH ONE PUNCH MAN! THAT'S HOW YOU MAKE AN ENTRANCE!" Superalloy Blackluster shouted as he flexed his muscles.

"Pfft, such a showoff." Tatsumaki said dismissively as she looked off to the side even though on the inside she was overwhelmed with joy.

"He truly is the world's strongest hero." Genos said with amazement as his already present respect for Saitama grew exponentially.

"Whoa..." Was all King could say as just like Genos his respect and admiration for Saitama also grew.

* * *

"OH MY GOD THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Mutsuko cheered as she flew around the room unable to contain her excitement.

While she flew around the room the clones and the other creations were also cheering and celebrating at Saitama's safe return back to the planet.

"WAY TO GO ONE PUNCH MAN!" They all shouted in unison each of them throwing a fist into the air as they did, though with Kamakyuri it was more so a careful raise of one of his blades.

* * *

Incoherent shouting, cheering, and joyous laughter filled the space of the blizzard group's locale, and even though this noise could be heard from all the way down the street Fubuki still managed to ignore it.

 _"Oh thank god he's alright."_ She thought with the biggest sigh of relief she ever let out as she placed a hand to her chest.

* * *

As the world resumed in it's cheering and praise of their strongest hero's survival and return, Lord Boros on the other hand felt as they did just a few moments ago completely stunned in a state of shock. Never in his entire life had being been able to survive that attack and yet there he stood the greatest warrior of this world with but only a few scuffs not even a small tiny scratch!

"Cool, I made it back." Saitama said with a smile as he looked down towards him.

Hearing him speak seemed to be what was needed to bring Lord Boros back to reality for after a few more seconds passed by he suddenly glared at Saitama before taking off in a mad dash towards him.

 _"This infuriating man...makes me want to give this everything I've got!"_ He thought to himself as he began once more to assault the other with a barrage of blows.

But unlike before hand where he was able to get Saitama off of his feet and send him flying through the air this time he held his ground firmly taking it with no issue. The reason why he chose to do this was not because Lord Boros had him on the ropes but it was so Saitama could watch him move and at the right moment pick the spot he would move to in order to land a punch. And land it he did, for the moment it made contact with Lord Boros's body his eye went blood red and he coughed up black blood before he was sent flying across the ship. Quick to react however he soon did a flip while traveling in order to make his feet touch the ship which rapidly decreased his speed and brought him to a complete stop.

"That is the way Saitama! you are indeed worth the effort!" He praised as he got to work healing the wound.

Sadly he would not have even a second's worth of time to do so as Saitama was already upon him and with speed that easily outclassed him own began punching every conceivable centimeter of his body.

"Consecutive normal punches." Saitama simple said as due to both the heat made from the punches as well as their innate power Lord Boros's body would explode sending blood and bits of him in all directions, even managing to damage parts of the ship behind him.

This would still prove to be not enough even with there seeming to be nothing left of him Lord Boros instantly brought himself back together and in another surge or energy began charging up one final attack.

"I WILL DEFEAT YOU!" He shouted as his body turned from white to gold and the earlier phenomenon comparable to a black hole happened once again surrounding Lord Boros as it had before "ALL OF MY ENERGY WILL BE RELEASED! BLASTING YOU AND THIS PLANET STRAIGHT TO HELL!" He assured as lightning began to surge once again as well though this time far bigger and much more powerful causing more destruction to the ship as a result.

And even though Saitama could not see it as no one could, deep inside of Lord Boros a powerful beat was beginning to occur a beat that most would compare to thunder due to it's deafening noise and power. This beat was his heart, which up until now had long since been still in a slow rhythm due to his boredom.

"COLLAPSING STAR ROARING CANNON!" He shouted as loudly as he could before shooting out a massive beam of energy towards Saitama.

"In that case I'll use my own final move." Saitama told him as he reared back his fist "Killer Move Serious Series, Serious Punch." Said as he sent forth his fist and all of his power with it.

Even though Lord Boros was nowhere near him and physically speaking the punch would not connect, the sheer shock wave created by his punch was so powerful it not only completely destroyed the beam, it not only hit Lord Boros far harder than his beam would've hit Saitama, but it was also powerful enough to push the clouds in the sky towards the other side of the world and even on it's most outer reach it made grass and tree leaves shake from the wind it created. But inside of the ship back in the room where this fight had begun, the bright shining sphere that rested above Lord Boros's throne began to crack and with it the ship began to fail. As for Lord Boros, he was next to nothing of what he just was, in fact he was barely even a skeleton only his upper torso, his head, his eye, hair, and some organs remained of him.

"Did I...lose?...I can...feel nothing..." He asked weakly as what little life he possessed was quickly fading away.

"You're still conscious...you really are strong, for real." Saitama complimented as he looked over his shoulder towards him.

"The prophecy held true...the battle was...a hard fought one..." Lord Boros replied.

"Yeah...it sure was." Saitama agreed.

"...You lie...you were...holding back...weren't you?" He asked but received no answer "I never stood a chance...it wasn't even a battle...you...obliterated me..." He admitted as a few chuckles escaped him "So much for prophecies...you were just...too strong...Sai...tama..." He said with his final breath.

And so with his adversary defeated Saitama with not a single word left to be said began to walk away. As for the ship, with the passing of it's captain the sphere above the throne shattered causing it to fall to the world below.

* * *

"It's coming down!" Iaian shouted as he looked to the ship above them.

"Then we better get out of here!" Metal Bat shouted in response as he took of running towards the headquarters.

With all survivors near the headquarters having been saved Zombieman, Pig God, Watchdog Man, Flashy Flash, Drive Knight, Tanktop Master, and Metal Knight's robot were all able to get inside the building the moment the ship started to come down. But for Atomic Samurai, Bang, Puri Puri Prisoner, Metal Bat, and Iaian they were forced to run as fast at they could to avoid being crushed.

"Damn it, how did old man Silver Fang get so fast?!" Atomic Samurai questioned as he helped his disciple run.

"Angel Dash!" Puri Puri Prisoner shouted as he ran acting as if that would somehow increase his speed.

"Hey pansy don't run in front of me you're too slow!" Metal Bat shouted.

"Angel Dash!" Puri Puri Prisoner repeated.

"Stop calling out your dumb moves and just run!" Metal Bat shouted having to fight off the urge to hit him.

As for the others on the rooftop, once Saitama's fight was at it's end and the ship began to fall Tatsumaki helped all of them get to the ground at a safe distance of course, so they could meet Saitama when he got out of the ship.

"There might still be survivors on board." Genus said as the ship made contact with the ground and finished crashing.

"We can worry about those alien guys later, right now we should make sure One Punch Man's okay." Child Emperor reasoned.

"He's fine." Tatsumaki assured with a scoff "He's just a big showoff, but I'll show him for being so overly dramatic." She said as they began heading towards the ship.

Unknown to them however, just a short distance away from their location another hero has arrived, though he is not there for the sake of helping.

"How did City A end up like this?" Sweet Mask asked as he looked at the ruins before him "All of S class was meeting here today, and yet Saitama was the only one to actually do his job." He noted as he too had been watching the broadcast.

But soon Sweet Mask would be able to get his answers for as he looked around he spotted the group of heroes who had dealt with the other creature. Walking over to them Sweet Mask would stop a few feet away from them as to remain on the high ground.

"Care to enlighten me on this Metal Bat?" He spoke gaining not just Metal Bat's attention but the other's as well.

"Huh?" Metal Bat sounded unsure as to what he meant.

"Explain it to me so I can understand." Sweet Mask repeated.

"Handsome Kamen Amai Mask, where in the hell did you pop up from?" Metal Bat asked.

"I was filming a TV drama in the next city over, there was a loud roar and tremors so I came to check things out, only to find City A destroyed." Sweet Mask answered.

"Monsters on this big ass ship behind me came and attacked us, they fired artillery and did all this and we still took care of it." Metal Bat explained.

"Took care of it you say? really?!" Sweet Mask questioned his eyes becoming blood red like a two crimson moons "You call this devastation victory?! what utter incompetence! I'm completely appalled at all of you!" He exclaimed as he held his arms out to his sides.

"Hey, you didn't even show up until this was all over, so get off your high horse." Metal Bat told him already done with his pompous attitude.

"Yes it's true I didn't make it here in time, but every single one of you did correct? and you didn't even save one brick!" Sweet Mask argued.

"We were having a meeting inside the headquarters building when it all started, we went outside as soon as we heard the enemy attacking, but city had already been reduced to ruins." Atomic Samurai explained stepping forward.

"And? so what?" Sweet Mask questioned with a wave of his hand "You think if you say that the media will just let this go?" He added.

"Hey Handsome, who's side are you on here? we worked together and did our best." Puri Puri Prisoner said getting serious as well.

"I'm on the side of peace and justice." Sweet Mask answered as he got to his feet "Having class S heroes this clueless and pathetic is an embarrassment, anybody that's this useless should voluntarily retire." He said as he slid down from his spot to them.

"Hey! don't start talking crap with us pretty boy!" Metal Bat exclaimed as he walked up to him, stopping right in front of him once he reached him "Who's gonna care about a pop idol with his face up his ass?!" He questioned just one good shove away from beating the other with his weapon.

"Do you have any idea why I don't move up to class S? it's simple really, I remain class A rank one so I can prevent weak good for nothing piss ants like you from ever moving up." Sweet Mask replied.

However before Metal Bat could raise his weapon to try and show Sweet Mask what he was feeling, a pod suddenly dropped down from the sky not too far from them gaining their attention. Once the pod opened however it turned out to be one of Metal Knight's robots, but unlike the one he had already sent in his place for the meeting this one was much skinnier and seemed to be fitted for scouting and not combat.

"Nice timing Metal Knight, you skip the meeting and decide now to just show up." Sweet Mask said as they all watched the robot leave the pod and go towards the ship.

"On the contrary Sweet Mask, I sent a robot in my place for the meeting, but like the others it was unable to do anything to the actual threat of the ship meaning there was nothing at all I could do." He explained as he turned around to face them "The robot you see before you is a scouting robot, for even though I had drones for this purpose this machine will allow me to truly explore and scavenge parts from the ship for study." He continued.

"For study? you don't mean you're gonna research that thing do you?" Metal Bat asked.

"Indeed, this is technology and resources we cannot even begin to fathom the full scope of, I will not allow such an opportunity be wasted." Metal Knight replied "Luckily for me One Punch Man didn't destroy as much as I thought he would." He admitted causing all of their eyes to widen.

"That's right One Punch Man! where is he?" Atomic Samurai asked as he looked around "We saw the impact on the moon and soon after ship started tilting, so where'd he go?" He added.

"He's still inside the ship, luckily my drones are guiding him through a path that will have him out shortly." He explained as his robot pointed towards the right end of the ship "You'll find him exiting one of the engines, if you don't want to miss him I'd suggest you hurry." He advised.

Seeming to forget about their previous argument all of the heroes rushed towards that end of the ship, all except for Sweet Mask who stayed behind.

"This isn't over Metal Knight." He warned as he then began to follow but at a casual walk.

"Mhm yes whatever." Metal Knight said dismissively before resuming his work.

True to his words, while Metal Bat and the others were still running towards the engines Saitama was already exiting the ship.

"Oh wow that was fast." He noted as he looked to the drone "Thanks for your help Metal Knight." He said.

"I should be the one thanking you." He replied as his drones looked at the ship "Due to your impressive restraint most of the ship is intact, I will be able to gather a great deal of materials." He complimented before the drones took their leave.

Watching the drones as they flew away Saitama was about to turn back around and keep walking only to be halted by a familiar voice.

"HEY BULB HEAD!" Tatsumaki shouted coming from his left.

Looking to his side Saitama found not only Tatsumaki floating in the air about ten feet away but also Genos, King, Superalloy Blackluster, and Child Emperor who upon seeing he saw them all hurried over.

"Saitama!" King exclaimed as he pulled his friend into a hug "That fight was incredible!" He complimented as he let him go.

"It's good to see you're okay Saitama." Genos admitted as he did a quick scan of other and found no injuries.

"You were so cool!' Child Emperor complimented clearly overjoyed that he got to witness such a thing.

"Sorry we couldn't help you out, but seeing as how that fight got pretty intense at the end maybe it was a good thing." Superalloy Blackluster said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"It was nothing." Saitama causally replied with a shrug of his shoulders "Although the guy was really strong." He admitted.

"But not as strong as you huh?" Tatsumaki asked with a raised brow crossing her arms as she did.

"Well yeah but still he was strong." Saitama answered.

"YO ONE PUNCH MAN!" Metal Bat shouted from behind them.

Looking behind him both he and the others saw the group of heroes quickly approaching all seeming to be excited as well, except for Bang of course.

"Hey guys." He greeted as they reached him "You guys okay?" He asked as he noticed Bangs exposed torso and Puri Puri Prisoner's...everything.

"Yeah we just had to fight some clay monster thing but it was no big deal." Metal Bat assured as he patted him on the back "But you on the other hand took down the whole ship! bet that was something!" He praised.

"Wait...did you guys not see the fight?" Child Emperor asked with widened eyes.

"What fight?" Atomic Samurai asked.

"Oh my god you HAVE to watch this!" Child Emperor exclaimed as he hurried over pulling a screen from his backpack "Don't worry I recorded everything Metal Knight broad casted so you won't miss anything!" He assured.

Curious as to what they missed out on they all gathered around Child Emperor's tablet to watch this fight, making sure not to make ANY bodily contact with Puri Puri Prisoner.

"Hey." Tatsumaki spoke before pointing towards where they came from "Don't look now, but here comes Handsome." She said with a slight scowl as the sight of him just made her feel sick.

Knowing well that Sweet Mask probably had something to say to him Saitama met him halfway just to get it over with.

"Hello Saitama." He greeted as they stopped.

"Hey Sweet Mask." Saitama replied.

"I see you've been busy." Sweet Mask noted as he looked at the somewhat disheveled state of his costume.

"Mhm." Saitama sounded.

Right around now is when Saitama expected to hear some kind of comment or insult be thrown at him from the other which he of course would just simply shrug off, but instead Sweet Mask held out his right hand for a handshake.

"Well done." He said as Saitama slowly and somewhat awkwardly took his hand and shook it.

"Uh...thanks?" He replied before letting it go.

Thankfully before this awkward conversation could go any further someone else could be heard running towards them though this person was someone Saitama was actually glad to see.

"SAITAMA!" Kaemon shouted as they just ran right into him hugging him as they did.

"Oh Kaemon hey." He greeted as he admittedly forgot Kaemon had been in the association building during this whole thing.

"I saw you on the TV and you were awesome!" They praised as they released him "You were like BAM! and the alien dude was like POW! and then there was the part with the lasers and it was just so cool!" They recounted.

"Glad you enjoyed it." He said as he looked around "Say is anyone else coming out here? because if not I kinda want to head home." He admitted.

"Oh right!" Kaemon exclaimed as they remembered something "I came out here with doctor Genus! and he told me to tell you that Sitch wants to see you back at the headquarters!" they said.

"How come?" He asked.

"I dunno probably just wants to thank you or something." They replied with a shrug.

Even though after the day he's had all Saitama wanted to do was go home, have a bath, then take a nap, he knew he should probably go and see Sitch just so he could deal with whatever praise or compliments they were gonna give him for just doing his job. And so, with everyone in tow right behind him excluding Sweet Mask Saitama headed back to the association headquarters. But this was not the end for City A nor what had occurred here, for while the threat had been dealt with and the city had been destroyed, Metal Knight thanks to his reverse engineering of the ship's materials as well as with help from doctor Genus was able to rebuild the headquarters into a city sized base, where heroes A class and above could live there if they so desired. As for those who had lost their lives to the attack, they have a massive monument erected to preserve their memory to show that even though they were gone they would indeed be missed.

* * *

 **(Aaaaaaaaaaaaand it's DONE, not the story mind you just this arc and thank GOD it is, don't get me wrong I LOVED writing this chapter but it took so long because it was just SO draining to get every detail that needed to be right right you know? but anyways before we wrap things up there's actually a few things I wanted to talk about before the story's "over"**

 **1\. In regards to the "Special" which happened before this arc and was met with mixed reviews, guess what? there's gonna be more of those as well as filler punches, and if you don't like it guess what? I. Don't. C A R E. Because and try to stay with me here, while I do try to make this story something everyone will love I also want to have fun with it so a good way to describe WHAT these specials are is below.**

 **First we have the Story Arcs and "Epic" events which either have their own name like this and the sea king arc or are referred as "Punch (Insert Number Here).**

 **Second we have Filler Punches, these chapters ARE canon in regards to THIS story's canon they're basically what happens between the story arcs and "epic" chapters.**

 **Finally we have "Specials" which are just random chapters that have NOTHING to do with the Canon of this story and is just me as the writer wanting to do something fun because let me be clear here, again while I LOVED writing this chapter, it was DRAINING and for a good while I'm mainly going to be doing fillers and specials because I just want to do fun chapters for a while and not hardcore lengthy serious stuff like this.**

 **2\. I've gotten more reviews about it than I ever thought I did so let me address this issue some of you have, YES I KNOW Carnage Kabuto aka Chikara probably could've EASILY killed Sea King or at the very least held his own incredibly well, but we're all here to see Saitama and it would've been INSANELY anti climatic if he had saved the day so for the sake of the story that's just how things happened.**

 **3\. I am going to be rewriting as few chapters, DON'T worry it won't be anything TOO major just corrections and better execution of the story as a whole, this will mainly be the first few chapters with all the others simply receiving corrections to typos and so on so whenever a new chapter is added be sure to go back and check the earlier chapters as they will more than likely be updated.**

 **4\. there IS a major thing in the actual series that happened in this arc but didn't happen here, I'm of course referring to when Drive Knight tells Genos to watch out for Metal Knight, again DON'T worry that is still in the "canon" of this story but it's going to happen later as with how this arc played out in this "canon" it was of course different.**

 **And finally the last thing I want to say is just thank you, this story has grown into something I never dreamed it could've and to literally every last one of you beautiful people who have favorited, reviewed, and followed this story I am forever in your debt, you all mean the world to me and I hope you continue to love this story as I continue to love writing it, also the 3 and 4 messages here will be removed when what is done with them HAS been done so don't think this massive end text will be like this forever, same goes for this last bit.**

 **Sincerely yours, The Lone Lobster**

* * *

"What are you thinking doctor?" Metal Knight asked Doctor Genus as his robot and the other both looked towards two gene therapy baths.

"The damage to each of their bodies is immense, with the first priority obviously being the worst of the two." Doctor Genus replied.

"But you can save them right?" Metal Knight asked.

"Of course, it'll take some time but I can repair the damage that was done to them, in all honesty I'm more surprised that anything was left of either." Doctor Genus admitted.

"Unfortunately we couldn't get the other one, but you have every corpse and survivor of the ship that I could find in your possession." Metal Knight assured.

"I wouldn't say couldn't." Doctor Genus said as he looked down at his clipboard "All that was left was the ashy substance it left behind, and while we didn't find much among all of the wreckage I might be able to do something with it." He hoped.

"That's good." Metal Knight replied as he put his hands behind his back "You do know of course that the association cannot find out about this." He told him receiving a nod in response.

"I understand the reasoning." Doctor Genus assured before looking to him "But you have to be honest with me and tell me what your plans are with them." He told him.

"Simple research doctor that's all." Metal Knight assured as he took a step closer to the baths "I mean, we are looking at the only being to have survived more than one punch from One Punch Man."


	36. Lord Boros: Aftermath

"How...ngh...did it end up like this?..." Geryuganshoop asked himself as he limped.

* * *

 _"LORD BOROS YOU NEED TO GET CONTROL OF YOURSELF!" Geryuganshoop shouted hoping his leader was listening "IF YOU DON'T STOP THE POWER SPHERE IS AT RISK OF BREAKING! THE WHOLE SHIP WILL GO DOWN!"_ _He shouted only to receive silence in response._

 _Feeling the dread and fear that had been steadily growing over the course of the intruder's arrival completely consume his form Geryuganshoop who by this point was the only one left in the control room was left to his thoughts. Unfortunately he would not have long for contemplation of any kind as soon the whole ship began to violently shake and all the monitors went red with damage reports coming from seemingly everywhere._

 _"Oh no..." He muttered beneath his breath before immediately erecting a barrier around himself even using parts of the ship that were nearby to make it stronger.  
_

 _Suddenly as if some kind of bomb had just been detonated a wave of pure fire and destruction plowed through the walls of the control room destroying everything it touched. Even through the barrier surrounding him Geryuganshoop could feel the sheer heat and intensity of the destruction occurring all around him, and while he was the supreme telekinetic power of the universe there was no one more powerful than Lord Boros. Feeling wounds and damage of all kind beginning to appear across his form due to the strain this was putting upon him he knew that the likelihood it would hold was nearly nonexistent.  
_

 _"THIS IS INSANE!" He shouted in panic as he was surrounded by fire "IF HE DOESN'T GET CONTROL OF HIMSELF THE WHOLE SHIP WILL BE DESTROYED!" He added as he struggled to maintain the barrier._

 _Feeling his power grow weaker and weaker as he gradually became more wounded Geryuganshoop realized that there was no surviving this by endurance and so decided to instead leave. However because he was not familiar with this world and he was already injured to a great extent the farthest he could send himself from the ship was what would've been the outskirts of the former city._

* * *

It's been hours since then and thankfully because of the ship going down and Lord Boros having indeed gone all out any attention that might've fell upon him was completely diverted. Still the amount of pain that coursed through his body was immense and as the sun was now beginning to set over the horizon he felt as though he could go no further.

"I...have to rest..." He told himself as he tried to lower himself to the ground only to end up collapsing entirely.

Wincing in pain as his body made contact with the ground he did all he could try and move just enough of his tendrils to move him into a better position, only to have them not even move at all.

"I'm...bleeding out..." He realized as his breathing began to slow "I can't heal myself...I...can't even move..." He continued as his eyelids grew heavier "This...this wasn't...how things were supposed to go..." He wheezed out as he slowly laid his head on the ground "Lord Boros...why...why..." He whispered softly as darkness took hold of his vision.

With not a scream or cry but a whisper did he slip into a strength sapping slumber with no hope seeming to be found.


	37. Filler Punch Nine

What kind of reward do you give a hero who saves the world? This is the exact question that filled the minds of the association and the rest of the population as well. Normally in the event of a "good job" the association would just boost their ranking, give them a bonus in their pay for the work, and of course deliver them all of the fan mail that would come from their heroic deed. But this would not do for One Punch Man and not because he was some sort of snobbish person who would demand something from everyone.

The reason or better REASONS this would not do for One Punch Man were plentiful starting with the fan mail. Now most heroes would receive a large container maybe even two of fan mail depending on their fame and overall popularity with the world, so seeing as how One Punch Man was not only the most popular hero in the world but also of course the strongest, it would take countless dump trucks to transport every little thing the people would send in. After that there was the issue of money, true Saitama DID like money but only as much as a normal person, in truth he was more of a penny pincher and bargain hunter than a greedy wealth seeking hound so a large bonus wouldn't have any impact.

So with the obvious choices out of the window and the fact his rank couldn't be boosted any further either, both the association as well as the world had no idea what to do to show their hero how thankful they were he was around to save the day. In truth the ONLY solution to this conundrum that anyone could think of was to just flat out ask him what he would like in return for his service, and the answer well...it was unexpected to say the least.

"Wait...what?" Sitch asked with widened eyes as he stared towards Saitama.

After the alien threat had been dealt with Saitama had been asked to come back to the building so Sitch could personally show his gratitude.

"I said I just want to be left alone." Saitama repeated as he crossed his arms "I know the fans aren't gonna leave me alone, I've gotten used to that, but I don't want some big party or just huge deal made out of it." He explained.

"But One Punch Man you saved the planet! you stopped a god level threat!" Sitch argued.

"So? that's what I'm supposed to do." Saitama replied with a shrug "I'm not a hero because it pays well or because it makes me famous I'm a hero because I want to be one, so I don't want some over top thing." He explained.

In truth while Sitch should've honestly expected this he still couldn't believe that there was nothing that he could possibly want that would serve as a proper thank you.

"Well...I suppose if you're certain then." He replied with a sigh of defeat "But at the very least let us treat you to an all expenses paid vacation, we're doing it for the others as well and it would mean a great deal if you accepted." He offered.

"Hmm..." Saitama hummed as he thought about it "...No reporters right? OR screaming fans?" He asked.

"None at all, we will have our best security detail ensure that no one but association employees as well as the other heroes and anyone they want to bring along are allowed within a hundred feet of the area." Sitch assured.

Upon hearing that response Saitama could not keep a smile though small from appearing on his face as the thought of having a good while without the screaming and chanting of the world sounded fantastic.

"That sounds great." He admitted as he rose from his seat "Guess I'll go home and pack then." He said as he turned around and left.

Feeling another sigh escape him though this one of relief, Sitch was quite happy that he was able to sell their hero on the idea. However the moment Saitama stepped out of the room he was met with the inquisitive faces of King, Kaemon, Genos, and Tatsumaki who had stayed behind so they could all leave together.

"Well?" She asked being the first one to voice the question.

"They wanted to give me some big reward but I said no, so instead they've invited me to go on a vacation with the rest of S class." He explained.

"A vacation? they didn't say anything about that." King said.

"Guess they want it to be a surprise." Saitama suggested with a shrug.

"Then why did they tell you?" Tatsumaki questioned.

"Probably to be sure that I would come and not just stay home." He said before walking away "Anyways I gotta go home and start packing some stuff, you guys should too." He told them.

"Hey wait!" Kaemon exclaimed as they ran up beside him "What about me and Genos? can we come?" They asked.

"He said we could bring anyone we wanted to so ya." Saitama answered causing the other's face to light up in excitement.

"Where is the vacation?" Genos asked as he, King, and Tatsumaki caught up to them.

"It'll probably be at one of their resorts." Tatsumaki answered "Every now then when a hero get's hurt or something big like this happens they always offer the heroes involved a chance to stay at one of their personal resorts to relax and recuperate for a few days." She explained.

"What's a resort?" Kaemon asked.

"It's a place people go to when they want to relax for a while." She answered.

"What do you do there?" They asked.

"I personally just relax in the spa for the most part, maybe get a drink if I feel like it." She answered with a shrug.

"What about you King?" Kaemon asked.

"Hm? Oh uh I've never actually been to one of the resorts, never has really interested me too much." He answered.

"Same." Saitama said as he put his hands behind his head "But this has been a pretty crazy day so it might be worth checking out, even if it's only just this one time." He reasoned.

With the rest of the walk being mostly quiet with only a few other questions from Kaemon the group soon made it to the ground floor and out the front doors where they then went their separate ways. Genos and King left together as they were both heading in the same direction while Kaemon of course went with Saitama as they both lived in the same building, leaving Tatsumaki to take off into the sky and be by herself which she admittedly wanted. But not because she had grown tired of their company or something like that, she just wanted some alone time to herself to think.

 _"I'll call Fubuki when I get home and tell her about the trip and see if she wants to come."_ She thought as she flew _"She'll probably say yes though the moment I mention Saitama's going too."_ She believed with an eye roll _"Mutsuko might wanna come too, but she might come with her creator if he's invited, even though he didn't do anything."_ She noted with a slight bit of irritation.

Taking a brief moment from her thoughts to look around at the ground below her she found herself coming to a stop as something caught her eye.

 _"What the?...is that...an octopus?"_ She wondered as she began descending.

Swiftly reaching the ground within a few seconds Tatsumaki placed herself just a foot or so away from the creature in case it was still alive. But the moment she was close enough to truly get a good look at it she not only discovered it wasn't an octopus but it was also terribly injured.

 _"This must be one of the aliens from the attack earlier, how'd it get this far from the ship?"_ She wondered as she looked it over _"It's lost a lot of blood but it's still alive...kinda."_ She noted as her body was soon coated in it's usual green glow _"But I can easily fix that."_

However, just as she was about to completely obliterate this creature with nothing but her esp Saitama's face suddenly appeared in her mind causing her to stop. At first she was confused as to why now of ALL times would his face just suddenly pop in her thoughts, but as she continued to ponder about it she would get her answer. Even though he was known as One Punch Man for obvious reasons Saitama still showed mercy whenever it was appropriate, yes a good deal of villains and monsters have met their end by his hand but it was only after they made it clear they weren't going to stop no matter what. So as she looked down at this alien life that was on the brink of death, while every fiber of her being was telling her to simply kill it and keep going back home she admittedly knew that showing mercy was the right thing to do.

Which somewhat infuriated her as it meant that Saitama was right and she never did like admitting that.

"I'm going to regret this..." She muttered to herself as instead of killing it with her powers she began to mend it's wounds "I can't heal you but I can at least keep you from bleeding until we get where we're going." She told it even though she knew it probably couldn't hear her.

Once she was certain it would not bleed out while they traveled she lifted both her and it into the air before proceeding to head back to her home.


	38. Punch Nineteen

**(A/N: As of the moment from what I could find there seems to be no official information regarding Tatsumaki's home, so while for this chapter not much information is given, on any future chapters the design you will read at that point is the one that will be used and will only be changed if in the actual series ONE shows us her abode, thank you.)**

* * *

"I'm...bleeding _out..." Geryuganshoop realized as his breathing began to slow "I can't heal myself...I...can't even move..." He continued as his eyelids grew heavier "This...this wasn't...how things were supposed to go..." He wheezed out as he slowly laid his head on the ground "Lord Boros...why...why..." He whispered softly as darkness took hold of his vision._

* * *

"No...no...no!...NO!" Geryuganshoop shouted as he awoke.

Feeling as though his lungs were working harder than they ever had before the supreme telekinetic power of the universe would've never imagined he would end up in such a pitiful state. Body hurting beyond belief, lungs seeming to be devoid of air constantly, and the recounting of his near death were all a part of making him simply lie there and contemplate as to how things possibly could've gotten to such a point. Or at least it would've if not after five seconds of staring upwards he realized he was looking at a ceiling which he of course knew nothing of.

"What?..." He simply asked before he began to turn his head from left to right.

Unable to move any of his limbs due to the pain he was only able to look to his sides for some kind of clue as to where he had ended up. But instead of finding answers he found only more questions as to his left there was what appeared to be a closet of some kind while to his right a glass sliding door which led to an outside balcony.

 _"Am I in...someone's home?..."_ He wondered as he looked down at himself _"And...did they treat my wounds?..."_ He added as he looked to the gauze surrounding his injuries.

Even though he was no doctor Geryuganshoop could see that whoever had treated him wasn't a medical professional, but still they knew enough to clean the wounds, treat them with disinfectant, and wrap them in a way that ensured they wouldn't come loose but also wouldn't be too tight. But that just brought possibly the most important question to mind, if he truly had been saved by someone then who could it possibly be, certainly it wasn't any of the crew if they had somehow survived and he highly doubted the intruder would've been able to find him let alone spare his life. Luckily for the blue skinned alien he wouldn't have to wait in suspense for clarity any longer than he had, as soon the sound of someone walking towards him could be heard coming from the room's connecting hallway. Unable to keep himself from staring at the door in both anticipation as well as worry the footsteps soon reached the door followed by their owner slowly turning the knob and proceeding to open it.

And what was on the other side he would've never guessed.

"Hmph, thought I heard you shouting." Tatsumaki said as she stepped into the room "So how are you feeling, any pain?" She asked as she crossed her arms.

Keeping silent for a few seconds as to process what was happening, Geryuganshoop thought about the best possible thing to say or ask in response.

"Um...little girl...are your parents around?" He asked.

Upon hearing herself be referred to as a little girl Tatsumaki's eyes widened with obvious anger which he was able to clearly notice. But instead of shouting at him which wouldn't better the situation she closed her eyes, took a few quick breaths, then reopened them before continuing the conversation.

"First of all, you overgrown helping of calamari, I am NOT a little girl, I am twenty eight." She clarified as she turned her head "Second, before you ask me any stupid questions let's get one thing straight, I didn't HAVE to save you, in fact I could've just left you to die or better yet finished the job myself." She admitted before looking back to him "But luckily for you I have this...friend, who can be SUPER annoying when it comes to showing mercy and being the greatest guy ever blah blah blah." She explained with an eye roll "So what's going to happen here is simple, I am going to be treating your wounds, you are going to be staying with me during that time, but once you are able to get up and leave on your own you're out of here, after that I could care less about what happens to you." She stated.

Letting all of her words just sink in, normally if he were ever spoken to like that by anyone Geryuganshoop would just use his telekinetic powers to crush them like a worthless little insect. But looking past the one specific injury to his head which kept him from using any of his powers, the fact of the matter was with Lord Boros more than likely defeated, the ship most certainly gone, and all of the crew either dead or missing, he was trapped on an alien world he knew nothing about. And so for the second time in his whole life Geryuganshoop felt a sickening feeling swell within him, one that he hoped with all his might he would never feel again, he felt helpless.

"I...understand." He replied knowing well the best and only option that he had was to be compliant.

"Glad to hear it." She said before she turned around "Now I'm going to go and call someone, when that's done I'll come back here and change your bandages." She told him as she walked towards the door only to stop once she was inside the doorway "And I swear to god if you try anything I will not hesitate to splatter you against the wall." She threatened before walking back into the hallway.

Feeling a sigh escape him Geryuganshoop simply let his head fall into the pillow below it before closing his eyes in hopes of being able to think. As for Tatsumaki, she went down the hallway into her living room to retrieve her cellphone from the coffee table that sat between the couch and television. Not even bothering to walk the rest of the way though she simply used her esp to bring the phone to her hand once she reached the end of the hall before calling a number via speed dial.

"Hello?" Saitama answered after a few seconds of ringing.

"Hey baldy." She greeted as she looked at her nails "Listen I don't have long to talk I just needed to ask you something." She told him.

"Okay." He simply replied.

"Do you know how long it'll be before we go on the vacation? is it like a few days, a week, or tomorrow?" She asked.

"Oh funny you should mention that, turns out the association's gonna be busy for the next week repairing all the damage done to City A." He explained.

"And that means the vacation won't happen until they're done." She said.

"Mhm, Sitch called and said they needed all of the employees to help so there wouldn't be any right now to spare for the vacation, but once it's all done we should be good to go." He explained "Why do you ask?" He wondered.

"Just wanted to know how long I had to put off packing is all, thanks baldy." She told him before abruptly hanging up.

Using her powers once again to put the phone back on the coffee table Tatsumaki then headed back to the room to get the bandage changing over with. However as she walked in she noticed that the creature was coated in a whitish light similar to her own green light whenever she used her powers. However the light itself was very faint almost as if he was barely able to make it happen at all, which in truth made sense given his injured state.

"Hey." She spoke catching him by surprise.

"Gah!" He sounded as he opened his eyes in shock at her unnoticed reappearance.

"What were you doing?" She asked with a raised brow even though she was almost certain as to what he was doing.

Debating internally on whether or not he should answer that question, Geryuganshoop knew that if this whole ordeal was to go smoothly he was not only going to have to be compliant but also honest and open with her whenever it was needed.

"I...was trying to use my powers." He answered.

"Telekinesis?" She asked wanting to be certain.

"Yes." He answered with a nod of his head.

"Why?" She questioned.

"To speed up the healing process." He answered before looking down at himself "You see, I am known as the supreme telekinetic power of the universe." He said before looking back to her "On my planet everyone is a telekinetic, but out of all my people I was the most powerful without question." He explained.

"Go on." She told him as she walked over interested to know more.

"Well, for the longest time it was believed that I was not only the supreme telekinetic power of the universe but also the supreme being, as no matter who came to challenge me I was able to beat them with little to no effort at all." He continued "But then...HE showed up...the supposed dominator of the universe Lord Boros..." He recounted.

"The guy who fought Saitama right?" She asked.

"Saitama...so that was his name..." He said to himself before proceeding "Yes that was the man who fought this Saitama you're referring to, and up until now no one not even me and my powers were capable of dealing with him, it's like he wasn't even a mortal being but a god of some kind." He admitted before looking down at himself "But now look at me, look at US, all because he had to listen to some STUPID prophecy we traveled for twenty straight years to get here only for it to end with everything going to hell!" He exclaimed angrily "And now I'm forced to lie in this bed with you treating my wounds because I can't do it myself, do you have ANY idea how infuriating it is to feel so weak and helpless that you can't even do the simplest thing you can think of?!" He asked as he looked towards her.

It was in this moment that Tatsumaki upon hearing that question couldn't believe what was happening. For the second time in her life she completely understood how this creature felt, with the first time being with Kaemon when they recounted how weak and helpless they had felt in the company of the other sea folk. And while with Kaemon she could relate to it as that was how she had felt when she was taken as a child and was forced to be strong to survive, she understood how this creature felt because that was who she became, someone who despised the idea of ever needing help from anyone and only cared to be the strongest she could be.

"Actually...I do." She answered which caught the other by surprise "I've had...much to my disgust...a few moments where I wasn't able to handle the situation I was in...at least...not entirely." She admitted begrudgingly "And while I still think of myself as being one of the strongest people in the world, I've come to realize I'm not the only one who is that strong and that I'm not the strongest person out there." She explained before looking out the glass door to the balcony "But that's only allowed me to become stronger both in power and as person as weird as that might sound, sure it's humiliating and infuriating whenever it happens but it also keeps me from getting too cocky." She went on before looking back to him "So I do know how you feel right now and I know just how much it sucks, but maybe what you can take away from this is that you have to become even stronger than you already were, instead of accepting that it is as strong as you can be." She finished.

Silence filled the space between them as her words impacted him in such a way that he would've never believed possible. For while yes Geryuganshoop knew he was not the strongest being in the universe as Lord Boros had been the one to prove that, he simply thought that there was nothing that could be done to maybe make himself closer to his leader in strength or maybe even on par with him. But as he stared with widened eyes at this green haired human female who had saved his life, he couldn't keep a quickly growing feeling of respect from finding it's way inside of him, causing him to do the one thing he never thought he'd do.

"Thank you." He told her which seemed to surprise her just as much as she had surprised him "For not only saving my life but also making me feel better about this whole situation." He clarified as he looked back down at himself "Before now I never thought I'd see myself like this again, I thought that maybe after I met Lord Boros things would just be fine and okay from then on, but now I'm back to being on the brink of death as if nothing even changed...which I guess...it didn't." He admitted as he looked to her once more "So again thank you, for sparing my life and showing me that I'm not the only one out there who's experienced something like this." He said as a small smile appeared on his face.

Now having it be her turn for silence Tatsumaki while not having as much to process and feel as he had with her words still felt an odd sense of pride and possibly joy come to her, which also caused a small smile to appear on her face as well.

"You're welcome." She replied as she looked to his body "Now what's say we get these bandages changed hm?" She asked receiving a nod in response.

Feeling a strange new acquaintanceship be forged between them, as Tatsumaki using her esp to do so removed his old bandages and replaced them with new ones, which didn't surprise him as he figured she had some sort of power which helped her bring him here, something he had mentioned over the course of their conversation was nagging at her thoughts.

"Hey." She spoke to gain his attention "You said you never thought you'd see yourself like this again, what did you mean by that?" She asked.

However, instead of immediately replying Geryuganshoop seemed to be unsure as to whether he should answer the question or not, which she noticed.

"You don't have to answer it, if it makes you uncomfortable." She told him as she believed she unknowingly touched on something sensitive.

"No it's fine, it's just not my proudest moment is all." He assured her before releasing a sigh "The only other time I was ever like this was when I first met Lord Boros, but I didn't end up like this because we fought." He began as he closed his eyes to remember "My people live on a world that is nothing short of paradise, a vast beautiful place filled with diverse biomes and indigenous life of both animal and plant variety, and thanks to our natural telekinetic powers we were able to accomplish so much." He recounted with a smile "Eventually though after it was discovered that I was the supreme telekinetic power of the universe, that was when Lord Boros arrived and asked me to join his crew which at first I declined." He admitted "But Lord Boros while not annoyingly persistent or threatening wouldn't leave without recruiting me for his crew, which would happen sooner than he or I thought it would." He continued as a frown appeared on his face "Apparently hurtling towards us at a rapid rate was a massive asteroid and by the time we or Lord Boros's ship in orbit learned of it, there would be no way for us to avoid it or evacuate my world." He revealed "Of course my people and I weren't afraid at first as we believed I could easily just destroy it without any issue at all, but when that time came I not only struggled to just slow it down but was unable to stop it at all...which is where Lord Boros intervened." He explained.

"And he was the one who saved your world." She said earning a nod in response.

"Exactly, where I the supposed supreme telekinetic power of the universe was utterly helpless, Lord Boros didn't so much as blink as he obliterated it." He said with a sigh "After that I was too ashamed as well as damaged from the ordeal to face my kind with any semblance of self worth or pride, so as Lord Boros approached me when the deed was done I just agreed right then and there to join him, that way I wouldn't need to face them at all."He said as he looked off to the side "And that's how I became one of his lieutenants..." He concluded with another sigh.

Having finished redressing his wounds with new gauze near the end of the story, Tatsumaki was left to just listen as he talked. But now as the story was at it's end and she had gotten her answer she once again knew how he felt as it reminded her of when she first met Saitama and how he without meaning to made her realize she wasn't as strong as she believed. And yet while in the first few seconds of silence that came after the story's end she didn't know what to say in response, an idea soon came to mind that while for the most part she was on board with a small part of her was screaming: "DO. NOT. SAY. IT."

"I'll make a deal with you." She began causing him to look at her "Seeing as how you're stuck here and have no way of leaving the planet, I'll let you stay here with me and if you want even help you train to become stronger." She offered before holding up her left hand "But before you say or ask anything there would of course be conditions." She told him as she held up a finger "The first condition is that you don't leave my place without me, at least not for a while, because if anyone were to figure out you were on the ship it wouldn't be good for either of us." She said as she held up a second finger "The second condition is that you do everything that I tell you, not like a slave or some kind of servant but if I'm going to help you be stronger than you have to listen to me, kinda like a teacher." She went on as she held up a third finger "And finally, the most important condition is that you do not under ANY circumstances tell ANYONE what was said here between us, I have a reputation to maintain and if people think I'm going soft I'm going to have to do some things that would lower my hero ranking." She concluded as she crossed her arms "Well?" She asked.

Feeling his eyes be wider than they had ever been before, while everything up to this point had been shocking, surprising, and just down right mind blowing, never could Geryuganshoop have expected to find on this tiny little world in the farthest reaches of the universe something he and the other dark matter thieves had never found anywhere else. He found not only mercy, but also a friend.

"I accept your conditions." He told her without any hesitation, not needing even a second more to consider it "I'd shake your hand but I can't really move anything." He said causing her to smirk.

"Then let me fix that." She said as she used her esp to lift one of his tendrils into her hand "Oh and my name's Tatsumaki by the way, but only my friends and sister call me that, everyone else knows me as the Tornado of Terror." She introduced.

"Mine's Geryuganshoop, nice to meet you Tatusmaki." He replied.

And so, as their handshake only lasted a few seconds more before it ended neither the green haired psychic nor the dark blue alien would've ever expected to have found a friend in such an unlikely place and circumstance.


	39. Filler Punch Ten

**(A/N: I'm gonna say this once, only once, and I swear to god if I get more reviews about it I'm just gonna remove the last three or so chapters cause it's annoying me, Geryuganshoop and Tatsumaki are NOT. GOING. TO. BE. A. THING. They are just friends so PLEASE stop asking me if they're going to be a thing, geez)**

What does the world's greatest hero pack when he's preparing to go on vacation, this is the question that was going through Saitama's mind at the moment, excluding the greatest hero part, as he stared at an open and empty suitcase. Because the truth was never in his whole life had Saitama had a vacation, sure he'd gone places and seen some cool things, but he never went on a trip or to a location with the goal being to just screw around for a few days before going back to routine. And so as he stood there in his apartment just blankly staring at the finely made storage item, he wondered just what do people take on vacations anyway? He knew they probably took a camera for photos but he didn't really want to have some pile of pictures he'd rarely look at, he figured they probably took "special" clothes meant for times like this but he only had his regular clothes and his costume, and he was almost positive that people like to buy cheap souvenirs to remember the trip by but considering this was going to be at an association resort there wouldn't be any of those.

No matter how much thought he put into it or how much pondering he did Saitama didn't really know what he should take to a resort beyond the basics of clothes, a tooth brush, and maybe his costume should something happen while he's there. So after just standing there blankly staring at his suitcase for about five minutes he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone as to call someone who might be able to help him.

"Hello?" The voice of Fubuki spoke after a few seconds of ringing.

"Hey Fubuki it's me Saitama." He said which seemed to catch her off guard.

"Oh hello Saitama!" She exclaimed but in a pleasantly surprised manor and not an overly excited one "What's going on? everything alright?" She asked as this was the first time he had ever called her.

"Mhm everything's fine, I was just wondering if you could help me with something." He answered.

"Oh? what is it?" She questioned.

"The association's sending all of S class on this vacation to one of their resorts next week, but I've never been on a vacation and-"

"You've never been on a vacation?!" Fubuki asked cutting him off.

"Well before I was a hero I had no time to really go on one, and then after I became a hero there's never been a good chance to take one as I'd never be left alone." He explained.

"I guess it would be hard for you to get away with all of the fans." She replied.

"Mhm, anyway so since I'm going on vacation next week and it'll be the first REAL vacation I've ever had, I was wondering if you could help me figure out what I should pack for it." He explained.

"Oh sure that shouldn't be too hard at all." She assured before the sounds of her getting up from her seat could be heard "I'll be right over so we can get started, sound good?" She asked.

"Sure, see you in a bit." He answered before ending the call.

Even though it would only take Fubuki a short bit to get to his apartment Saitama still decided to get as relaxed as possible, which of course meant kicking up his feet and reading some manga. But because of the short wait time he didn't get very far into his manga before there was a knock at his door, luckily this was a manga he has already read. Getting up from his spot on the floor he walked over to the door and opened it, and while he expected to see Fubuki what he didn't expect was what she had brought with her.

"Uh Fubuki?" He asked as he pointed to the two bags she held in each hand, both being the kind one might use for carrying produce or the like "Why do you have those?" He asked.

"I figured if you didn't know what someone takes on a vacation then you probably don't have anything for it either right?" She questioned.

"Well yeah but what does that have to do with the bags?" He asked.

"Simple, we're going to go shopping!" She answered with a smile "And don't worry, we're not gonna go overboard and buy a bunch of stuff, we're just going to buy the essentials." She assured.

"What are the essentials?" He asked.

"Oh you know basic things like a few robes in case you want to check out the spa, maybe some swimwear if you want to use the pool, or if you don't want any of those things you could get some things you wouldn't have time to do otherwise but can now do during the vacation." She suggested.

Taking a moment to think on that Saitama had to admit it had been a while since he'd read any new manga or seen a movie since it was kinda hard to do either with people swarming you any time you stepped out.

"Huh, okay then let's go." He said as he walked out, closing the door behind him as he did.

"Great! I have a car waiting for us so we won't draw too much attention." She replied as they headed for the stairs "I also know of a few places that me and Tatsumaki shop at for discretion, so that way we can avoid a scene." She added.

"That's pretty cool, how'd you find them?" He asked.

"It took a bit of searching admittedly, but if you want to shop in peace it's definitely worth it, if you'd like I could show you some other stores like that some time." She offered.

"Are any of them grocery stores?" He asked causing her to smile.

"I'm certain there are a few." She answered causing him to smile as well.

Making their way down the apartment stairwell and to the waiting car in the road, the duo got inside before heading off to the shopping district of City Z.

"So Saitama." She spoke as to gain his attention "What do you plan to do at the resort?" She asked.

"I'll probably just relax and not do anything." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Is that all?" She asked seeming to be a bit surprised "Not meaning to pry or anything but the resorts have a lot to offer." She added.

"I might do some other stuff, go for a swim or maybe see what they have in the buffet, but for the most part I just plan on staying in my room." He answered.

"So not too different from how you spend your free time then huh?" She asked jokingly with a smile.

"Heh, guess not." He replied with a small smile of his own.

Spending the rest of the ride in silence they soon reached their destination, and while there was a decent amount of people it was actually small for the shopping district meaning they shouldn't encounter too many problems regarding his fans.

"Park over there." Fubuki instructed her driver as she pointed to an open spot in front of a store "That's the first place we're stopping." She said though this time to Saitama.

"How many stores are we going to?" He asked.

"Only three, the first one is mostly clothes while the other two are for just for general browsing." She answered as the car came to a stop "You ready?" She asked receiving but a nod in response.

Opening their car doors and stepping out while Fubuki just casually shut her door and went on towards the store's entrance, Saitama was being a bit more cautious as he wanted to avoid forming a crowd. And even though of course the moment people saw him stepping out of the car they began to talk, none of them rushed over and demanded autographs or photos which allowed him to breath a bit more easily. However, even though they weren't rushing over and swarming him like a mob of locusts, if either he or Fubuki had managed to hear but one of the whispers being spoken as they went into the store they would've been at the least shocked to the core.

 _"Hey isn't that Blizzard of Hell?" "What's she doing with One Punch Man?" "He's not wearing his costume! he's just got a hoodie on!" You don't think they're on a date do you?" "No way I heard he and Tornado were a couple!"_ Were just a few of the things being softly spoken between the civilians.

* * *

"Huh, this looks comfy." Saitama noted as he held up a plain white men's robe.

True to her word the first store they stopped at was indeed all about clothes, but luckily as they were there for vacation shopping they were only looking at casual attire or something one might wear to a spa. Now most people might find such shopping to be rather personal and in some cases quite intimate, but Fubuki and Saitama were not such people and simply saw this as an outing with a close friend.

"What about this Saitama?" She asked as she held up a straw woven hat "See yourself laying by the poolside with this?"

"Not really." He simply replied with a shrug of his shoulders "And isn't that more like a farmer's hat?" He asked.

"Hm...not really but I see your point." She said as she put it back "So is there anything you might want in particular for the trip?" She asked wanting to see if he had some kind of preference.

"These robes do look kinda comfy." He admitted as he continued to look through them "But other than that I think the clothes I have should be okay, what about you?" He asked causing her to look at him.

"What do you mean? I'm not going on the vacation." She questioned with a raised brow.

"Tatsumaki hasn't asked you yet? we're allowed to bring as many people as we want to." He explained.

"Huh, well if she wants me to go then I guess I'll just pack my vacation clothes." She replied with a shrug.

"Wait, you have clothes that you only wear on vacation?" He asked causing her to smile.

"I'm a woman Saitama, and we have clothes for EVERYTHING." She joked before going back to browsing.

Feeling yet another small smile appear on his face Saitama had to admit that so far this shopping trip was one of the most pleasant he's ever had, though that might also have something to do with the fact there weren't people chanting his hero name every second. But looking beyond the lack of crazed crowds idolizing him like a bunch of loons, as the two continued to just look at casual clothes the employees of the store couldn't keep themselves from whispering to each other just as the people outside were.

 _"Holy crap that really is One Punch Man and The Blizzard of Hell!"_ One of them a girl whispered to the other who was a boy.

 _"What do you think they're doing here? they can't just be shopping for clothes right?"_ He whispered back.

 _"No way! ever since they walked in they haven't looked at anything other than robes and some swimwear! they're TOTALLY on a date!"_ She assured.

"Excuse me." Saitama spoke as he had somehow managed to sneak up on them from the side.

Unable to keep themselves from almost jumping into the air out of surprise both employees looked to the bald headed hero with shock, fearing that he might've heard what they had said.

"Does this come in yellow?" He asked as he held up a white cotton robe.

Slowly looking to one another as to make sure they had heard him right both employees then let out a sigh of relief as they were in the clear.

"Uh yes sir it most certainly is! allow me to go get one for you!" The girl volunteered as she headed to the back.

Silence immediately took hold of the air and while Saitama of course didn't mind it at all the other employee was admittedly a little anxious as he WAS in the company of the world's strongest hero.

"Um...One Punch Man?" He spoke gaining the other's attention "I-I don't mean to be like one of those crazy need to know everything fans but, can I ask you a question?"

"Hm? oh sure." Saitama replied causing a smile to appear on the other's face.

"Really? thanks!" He exclaimed as he was suddenly more relaxed "So uh, again not meaning to pry or be weird or anything, but how come you're here with The Blizzard of Hell?" He asked.

"We're shopping." Saitama simply answered causing the other to sigh.

"No no, I mean WHY are you both shopping here, at a clothes store, ya know together?" He asked.

"Oh, well we're both going on vacation and I needed some stuff." Saitama answered.

Upon hearing that response the employee went stone cold frozen with his eyes as wide as dinner plates. But before Saitama could even notice his sudden stunned demeanor the other employee returned with a yellow robe.

"Here you go sir!" She exclaimed as she handed it over.

"Thanks." He replied as he walked back to where he was to put the other robe back.

Unable to keep herself from smiling proudly that she had the honor of assisting One Punch Man, she then turned to resume speaking to the other employee only to take notice of his frozen state.

"Um...are you okay man?" She asked as she gently poked his face.

However instead of replying right away with words he grabbed onto her arms and pulled her down to the ground with him so they could be hidden behind the counter.

 _"You will not BELIEVE what I just found out!"_ He whispered to her as he took a quick look around to make sure no one else was there to hear it _"So while you were gone I asked One Punch Man what he's doing here with Blizzard, and he just straight up said they were going on vacation!"_ He recounted causing her eyes to widen like his.

 _"NO WAY! THAT IS FREAKING HUGE!"_ She whispered back.

Meanwhile, as both employees began to have a mini freak out behind the counter where no one could see them, Saitama and Fubuki were just about ready to leave.

"Is that all you're buying Saitama?" She asked him as he had but the one yellow robe in his possession.

"Mhm, like I said my other clothes are fine but I do like how the robes here feel, plus this one matches my costume." He answered as he looked down at the neatly folded pile of clothes in her arms "What're you getting?" He asked.

"Oh just a few things, mostly some swimwear in case Tatsumaki does invite me which she probably will." She answered.

Simply nodding in response both heroes made their way to the counter where the two employees were waiting eagerly for them, a bit TOO eagerly.

"Will this be all for you two?" The girl asked as they set down the items on the counter.

"Mhm, however I won't be paying with cash or credit, instead I'll be using my account with the association, is that alright?" She asked.

"Oh yes of course miss Blizzard! I'll take care of that right away!" The boy said as he hurried over to a nearby computer.

"Wait, you can pay through the association?" Saitama asked as he turned to Fubuki.

"You didn't know?" She asked in return causing him to shake his head "Well besides allowing us certain benefits like the resorts and fame, the association is also supported by countless businesses and franchises as some of the more popular heroes take on all kinds of endorsements and commercials, so everyone get's a discount as well as an account that you can put money into for spending." She explained.

Upon hearing this Saitama's expression immediately changed from it's usual blank stare into utterly shocked catching her by surprise.

"F-Fubuki..." He stuttered as his mind was processing this information "D-Does that apply to things like groceries and manga?" He asked.

"Of course, almost every store, mall, and shopping venue is a supporter of the association as it's good for business, so you can get pretty much anything at a discount with S class having the best deals of them all." She answered.

The only true way to describe how Saitama felt upon hearing this would be to think of a blind man who despite being blind his whole life suddenly wakes up one day and has the best vision in the world, because the moment she finished speaking without any hesitation at all Saitama grabbed both her wrists and the clothes before running out.

"THEN WE'VE GOT A WHOLE LOT OF SHOPPING TO DO SO LET'S GO!" He shouted as he bolted out of the store, the sheer speed he did so almost being enough to literally sweep Fubuki off of her feet.

As for the employees, after a few seconds passed by of them staring at the flung open doors both heroes had gone through, they slowly looked to one another before saying.

"We HAVE to post this."

* * *

What was meant to be a quick laid back outing for just a few things for the vacation turned into a whole day of shopping for Fubuki and Saitama. Now one might think to themselves "Wait, not one time over the course of his whole career as a hero did ANYONE mention to Saitama anything about the discounts?", and well the answer to that is yes they did not. But it wasn't because it had just managed to slip their minds somehow or perhaps they thought he wouldn't want it, but seeing as how Saitama was the very first hero ever in the association they just assumed he knew about it but never used it for some reason or another. And yet while this was of course not ENTIRELY true there was some truth to be found in it, for you see Saitama while by no means an idiot was at the same time not the brightest bulb in the hardware store, no pun intended.

What that means is over the course of the association's founding and it's development Saitama was asked to sit down with Agoni himself and give his input on how some things should be handled. But whenever something relating to business, the laws, and other complicated boring things came up Saitama not only let Agoni deal with it personally, but also didn't pay too close attention when it was relayed back to him. So the sad truth was he actually DID know about the discounts and what not, or at the very least he was told about it and he simply wasn't listening all too well as it didn't seem important to him. But looking beyond the fact that he was the sole reason behind his unawareness of this perk of being a hero, he made sure to make up for all lost spending as he and Fubuki painted the town green so to say.

And while he of course didn't just go around buying everything in sight, thanks to this discount he was able to get every manga he wanted to read for chump change, secured many a fine deal on his favorite foods and snacks for pennies, and was even able to enjoy a very finely prepared meal at a renowned restaurant for the same price you'd pay for fast food, with Fubuki right alongside him. So while both heroes had expected this trip to end after an hour or so and they would then simply part ways, it ended up with them spending almost the whole day in each other's company complete with shopping, telling jokes, and overall just enjoying the experience. But alas all good things must come to their end, and it was right around the beginning of the afternoon in which they returned to Saitama's apartment.

"This has been without question the single best shopping day of my life." Saitama told her as he carried more bags in each hand than any normal person could if they were using both and had help "Thanks for telling me about the discount Fubuki." He said as they stopped at his door.

"I really am surprised you didn't know about it Saitama, I figured if anyone would know about a discount it'd be you." She admitted causing him to sigh.

"To think of all the sales I could've exploited with this..." He replied causing her to giggle "Anyways I should get all of this put away, see you later Fubuki." He said as he opened the door.

"See you later Saitama." She replied as he entered his apartment and shut the door behind him.

Unable to keep a smile from appearing on her face Fubuki with a bit of a skip in her step went back down to the car and returned to the Blizzard Group. And while everything for the both of them seemed to have ended as well as either could've hoped, they were completely unaware of the utter chaos that was unfolding on all social media platforms, as the people who saw them during the day retold what they saw and heard whether or not they were certain it was true. But hey, it's not like anything BAD has ever come out of rumors and speculation in the media, if anything this will all be gone long before either of them somehow catches wind of it...right?


	40. Filler Punch Eleven

**(A/N: Punch One A.K.A. Chapter One's been updated, go and check it out if you want.)**

A few days had now passed by since the attack on City A, and while there was still a great deal of work to be done and there was still time before the S class got their much deserved vacation, the heroes still found ways to past the time. But it wasn't by fighting crime mind you, whether it was due to the severity of the attack on City A or some other reason they weren't aware of, it seemed like the criminal underworld would be quiet for a while. This allowed the heroes of S class not only enough time to pack but to also do some other relaxation before the week long vacation was upon them, and while Saitama read manga, King played video games, and so on so forth, there was one green haired psychic who was relaxing in a way that most would not find relaxing. Yet it was not through taking care of her newfound friend and roommate, as after the first two days of his recovery Geryuganshoop had regained a decent bit of his powers back, and thanks to such he was able to accelerate his healing little by little.

This was of course thanks to his unique biology where besides being clearly different from that of a human's it had evolved naturally to be one with his race's abilities. A good way to imagine it would be to picture an aquatic creature that evolves to live on land, it already possesses the means to eat, procreate, and survive but to adapt to become a better creature it still must evolve. This was the case with Geryuganshoop's people as they always had telekinetic abilities even in their earliest stage of evolution, only through the test of time as they evolved did their bodies become more and more in tune with this natural power. This allowed them to do many things and push what could be done with their powers more and more, starting with simple things like teleporting objects and even themselves to focusing on their bodies to accelerate the natural healing process when injured.

But sadly one of his injuries was a head wound and no matter how much his people had evolved one law was universal to all telekinetic forces, which was if your mind was damaged even slightly your powers would be directly affected. So while he was still recovering and it would be another day or so until he was back in prime condition, he could actually move around Tatsumaki's home a decent bit before needing to rest briefly as well as lift things and move them around. This allowed him to explore her home a bit more as to see how much there was to it and to no surprise it was quite the grand abode. Nothing gaudy or flashy to the point it was distasteful but it definitely breathed class and wealth which was a given thanks to her line of work.

Speaking of, besides being able to move about and not be bed ridden Geryuganshoop also engaged in more conversations with Tatsumaki so that they both could learn more about the other such as her job as a hero and a few other things. As for what she learned of him, he described to her in great detail his world and his kind going on for hours just recounting their culture and advancements yet still maintaining a very pure close to nature kind of life. And while it was quickly made clear he missed his home and his people, as they continued to talk and learn more things about each other he had to admit that if he were to be stuck on some alien world this one was arguably not too bad, especially since it allowed him to find such an unexpected but appreciated new companion. But it would be upon the third day of his recovery that he was almost back to his former self, and seeing that he could not only move about easily as well as do more with his powers, Tatsumaki believed it was time to conduct their first training session.

Of course in order to conduct a proper training session they would need a lot of room and a lot of privacy and the first place that came to mind was the massive canyon that Saitama had taken his hero's exam in. Now one might think that getting to such a place would be difficult for the duo as the moment they step out of the building they would immediately draw attention, but thankfully among the many things his body could do with his powers Geryuganshoop could change the outer layer of his body to whatever colors he desired giving him perfect camouflage. And so with the aid of Tatsumaki they were able to fly through the air to the canyon with her seeming to be alone as usual.

"Alright." She spoke as they landed on the ground "We're not going to do anything too crazy since you're still recovering, but you can still do a lot right?" She asked.

Deciding not to respond with words right away Geryuganshoop instead looked towards one of the canyon's walls before easily removing a massive chunk of it with his powers.

"I can handle this much in total volume at the moment." He answered as he brought it over "Anything exceeding this will require a bit of strain." He explained as he gently set it down behind him.

"Hm, okay I can work with that." She said as she then lifted the boulder into the air "This session is going to just be the basics, I know that might seem weird but it's just so we don't accidentally overdo it." She explained.

"What exactly are the basics to you?" He asked.

"Deflection, manipulation, and redirection." She answered as she looked towards the boulder "I'm going to break this boulder apart high in the air, I will then send all of the pieces towards you at high speeds, your goal is to deflect them but you are only allowed to use a barrier around yourself if you are at risk of getting hit, understand?" She asked receiving a nod "Okay then." She sad as she sent the boulder flying into the air.

Watching it go into the air only when it became so small it looked like a spec did she finally break it and begin sending the pieces down towards him. However due to the speed she was making them travel they were quickly beginning to generate heat around themselves effectively making them a literal rain of fire. And while for the first few moments it seemed as though Geryuganshoop was going to do nothing, with not so much of a flick of his tendrils did he not only deflect each of the shards individually, but he also managed to send them straight towards Tatsumaki.

"Hmph, two lessons with one move, well done." She complimented as she stopped the shards in mid air "Now all that's left is manipulation." She said as she released them and allowed them to fall.

Just as before while the shards fell to the ground it seemed as though Geryuganshoop was just going to let them do so without any intervention. But right as the first shard was about to land it was stopped in the air once more followed by the rest. In but a few seconds they began to move about in a swirling vortex and soon created a dust tornado around themselves which he contained to keep him and her from getting dirty. Waiting to see what he was planning to do Tatsumaki would feel her eyes widen in shock as after a few seconds more the tornado dissipated and what lay inside was a sight to behold.

Made entirely out of the shards with the cyclone merely a means of concealing it was a statue of Lord Boros, and besides the lack of his color and some finer details it was a near spot on sculpture. But before she could say or do anything in response to it, Geryuganshoop's body was coated in it's white light followed by the statue being reduced to the smallest pile of dust it possibly could be. Unsure as to why he would decide to destroy it, as she looked to him to voice her confusion she found he was staring towards the pile with an intense glare upon his face.

"...I'm sorry." He apologized as he could feel her gaze staring towards him "I just...wanted to do that." He said as the white light faded away.

"Eh it's not like I cared about it anyway." She told him as she looked to the pile "The statue I mean, what you did was impressive, but you destroying it wasn't a big deal or anything." She clarified as she looked back to him.

"Thanks." He replied as he looked to her "So, what now?" He asked.

"Well you're definitely able to do more than I thought given you're still recovering." She admitted as she crossed her arms "But with that said we still shouldn't do anything more in case it put's strain on your body, so we should go home." She said.

"Sounds good." He agreed as both he and her were coated in her green light.

Though he also used his own power to help lift him into the air as well as change his outer layer's color, Tatsumaki with no issue at all took them into the sky before they headed back to her place, with the pile of dust that was once the statue being blown away by the wind.


	41. Bonus: Dr Genus Research Logs Entry 0

**(A/N: To clear up some confusion regarding the second gene therapy bath from the end of the Boros finale)**

Most people think that it is just the association that comes in and cleans up the messes left behind by heroes after a hard fought battle, and while yes it is overseen by the association it's actually handled by a few different sources. First there are the construction companies who actually have to bid for jobs with the association, however the bidding takes places long before any disasters happen and who wins the respective bids are entitled to the next inciddent that requires their involvement. Next you have the insurance companies, and while they don't bid for work like the construction companies do they still file all their damage reports to the association, so that way they can replace everything that was destroyed in the ensuing chaos. Finally you have the clean up crews, these crews are divided into three specialized categories each made to be as effective and efficient as one could hope for the task at hand.

The first of the three groups is recycling, they take any materials like bricks, concrete, metal, and so forth found at the sites of incidents and ensure it's either disposed of in the proper way or it's re-purposed for use on something else. Then you have the hazard group, their job is to be certain that any unknown substances, residues, materials, and so on are properly handled, transported, and researched or disposed of. But the last of these three groups is arguably the most important, as it is the group that cleans up anything that is left of the heroes adversaries should the fight have taken a grim turn, they are known as the viscera detail.

Now one might assume their job wouldn't be the most important as all they do at a first thought is clean up the blood and guts and dispose of it right? Well yes that is what they do for the mass material so to say, but the truth is they are also scientists and researchers who wish to study the anatomy of the strange and unusual monsters the heroes come in contact with. This is done so that the association can directly make countermeasures and procedures for nearly anything that may come up since they can't ever really be certain as to what will appear and cause trouble. However, the real reason this group has become the most important of the three is because of the alliance between the association and the now well known House of Evolution, as any remains of monsters and creatures are simply delivered to doctor Genus.

And while for the most part he does nothing with them beyond simple research and maybe some storage of certain organs and bones to use for later, if a specimen should ever pique his interest to a great extent he is willing to do more with the remains than most would think.

* * *

 _"Is this all of it?" Doctor Genus asked as he looked towards the employee sent to deliver the remains._

 _"Yes sir, that's all the clean up crews could find of the creature." He assured with a nod of his head._

 _Looking down at the examination table before him, where most would see just a few damaged bones and some containers filled with blood and parts of organs, Doctor Genus saw the parts to build life._

 _"Then you can go." He said to the employee with a dismissive wave of his hand "I've got a lot of work to do." He added not bothering to look back at them._

 _Not responding to his words the employee with their task completed simply turned on his heels before leaving the room, closing the door behind him as he did. Now alone with the remains of the creature the good doctor couldn't resist the urge he had to slowly pick up the creature's damage skull and holding it in front of his face._

 _"Look at you...so sad...so pathetic...so easily killed..." He noted as he tightened his grip "And yet, you managed to kill ALL of my creations." He admitted with a scowl as he tightened his grip even further, managing to slightly crack the skull more as he did "But don't you worry, once things get underway you'll soon be begging me for the sweet release of death again." He said as a wicked smile came to his face "I suppose it is true what they say though, heavy is the head that wears the crown, don't you agree Sea King?" He asked jokingly before proceeding to get to work._


	42. The Heroes Retreat: The Arrival

There are very few moments that can get an S class hero excited, whether it be something personal to them or something that get's the adrenaline pumping at a million miles an hour, the point is that they rarely get exceedingly antsy about anything. But after the recent attack on City A, which by now was a full week ago, each S class hero was eager to finally enjoy the vacation they were promised at the association's best and only resort. Now some might've thought that there'd be different tiers of resorts for the different classes of heroes, and while S class and A class both get perks that B and C class heroes don't get they do not get their own resort. Not like they'd need it though seeing as how the association made sure that whether it was just some stress relief or a recommended getaway by a professional, their resort would offer anything and everything any hero could ever want or need.

From a beautiful pure blue pool that shined like a polished sapphire, a dining area that offered meals from all over the world, and a massive recreation area that offered every conceivable sport and fun pass time, these were but a few of the countless luxuries to be enjoyed. But not everyone in the S class really cared to indulge on such things, some of them just wanted peace and quiet as their lives were already hectic enough before the attack and so a little isolation would be bliss to them, which was the case for Saitama. As of this moment both he and Kaemon were riding in the back of an association escort car which was taking them to the resort, and while Saitama did have his usual small smile on his face Kaemon was glued to the window incredibly eager to arrive. But their car was not traveling alone, in a sort of train like line behind theirs almost all of the other S class heroes and their guests were riding in cars as well, with the only exception being Tatsumaki.

For you see, while she did of course invite her sister to come along on the trip she insisted that she ride with King and Genos as she wanted to fly to the resort by herself. And even though this didn't really surprise Fubuki as her sister was one for solitude, for while everyone else traveled with their guests to the resort Tatsumaki was bringing her other guest in secret.

 _ **"So why exactly are you bringing me with you again?"**_ Geryuganshoop asked via telepathy as they flew through the air _**"Not to sound ungrateful in the slightest, but I would've been fine by myself, you didn't need to go through this trouble."**_ He added.

 _ **"What trouble? all we're doing is flying there, and besides I didn't have a lot of food in the fridge and even if you didn't eat a lot you'd still run out by like Wednesday."**_ She explained _**"Plus look at it this way, now I get to kick your butt some more at chess."**_ She teased.

 _ **"If I'm not mistaken I so far have won five out of the nine games we've played, leaving you with only four victories."**_ He replied smugly causing her to shoot him a glare.

 ** _"THAT LAST ONE DIDN'T COUNT! I GOT A CALL FROM FUBUKI AND WAS DISTRACTED!"_** She argued.

 _ **"Even though we stopped playing so you could take the call?"**_ He questioned with a smug grin.

 ** _"...You're lucky we're flying over the cars, otherwise I'd drop you and you'd be mushed calamari."_** She told him causing him to mentally laugh.

It would only take both the cars below and the psychic duo another three minutes of travel before their destination was before them, the massive ornate in design resort complete with porcelain exterior on all of the outside walls and pillars, an equally massive wall of concrete painted in a stunning pure snow white color that surrounded the property, and of course the long smoothly paved driveway which was guarded by a beautifully crafted golden gate. Let it never be said that the association knew nothing about design.

"WOW!" Kaemon exclaimed as the cars slowly came to a stop before the gates "This place looks amazing!" They said as the guards stationed at the gate began going to all the cars to check them "Why are they checking the cars though?" They asked.

"Eh just procedure." Saitama answered with a shrug "They can't really take too many chances I guess." He reasoned.

 _ **"I'll give you humans one thing, you definitely know how to build a palace."**_ Geryuganshoop complimented as both he and Tatsumaki simply flew over the wall and headed straight for the resort.

 _ **"You do remember this is a resort right?"**_ She asked him with a raised brow as they lowered themselves to the roof.

 ** _"Is there a difference between the two?"_** He asked in return as they landed **_"On many planets what you call a resort is a palace as many different civilizations hold the comfort of their people very highly, allowing all of the citizens entry into the palace for the sake of relaxation and recovery."_** He explained.

"Huh that's interesting." She admitted as they no longer needed to speak through telepathy "Anyway, just stay invisible until we get to the room, then you can uncloak or whatever." She told him as she headed for the entrance into the building.

"It's not a cloaking device it's a camouflage." He corrected as he followed.

Back on the ground with the others, the guards had finished inspecting each of the cars and making sure that every passenger was already on the list, meaning they could proceed through the gate. And while the massive golden gate was a bit slow in opening due to it's sheer size and weight, once it finished and the cars wen through everyone was speechless at the beauty that laid on the other side. Now normally the massive near acre sized front lawn of the resort was simply laid with finely cared for grass with but a few flowers here and there, but to immediately show all of S class how grateful they were the association went ahead and planted a whole field of flowers on each side of the driveway. From roses and tulips to violets and sunflowers it was a sea of gorgeous colors that swayed ever so gently in the wind.

"They really went all out." Saitama noted as he was admittedly impressed by the amount of effort already being shown.

After but a few more seconds of driving the cars all pulled up to the front of the resort before coming to a stop, and as all of the heroes and their guests opened their doors and stepped out, they found none other than Sitch standing proudly in front of the doors waiting for them.

"Glad to see all of you have finally arrived." He greeted as they began walking towards him "Please come in and start exploring! we've added a good deal of new things to show you just how thankful we are for all of you saving the world!" He revealed "And don't worry about your bags, we'll have them taken to your rooms right away!" He added as employees were already taking the suitcases and bags from the cars and bringing them inside.

And so, as everyone piled into the resort to begin their week long vacation, there was nothing but smiles, gasps of amazement, and content looking faces to be found, which admittedly brought a great deal of relief to Sitch.

 **(A/N: So here we are finally with the resort arc, few things to establish though before we get really into this arc and I promise it'll be short, first off this is not going to be the same resort from the OVA as this is A. an alternate telling of the story ofc, and B. I have several ideas for this arc that I would like to explore, second this is going to be a fairly long arc as after the Boros arc I want to do a fun sort of filler arc such as this before getting back on the grindstone with canonical arcs like the monster association, and finally in case some of you have forgotten, when there is speech that is written in both italic and bold it is strictly telepathic speech, thank you for reading through this and as always until the next chapter, peace)**


	43. The Heroes Retreat: Day One

"Man you guys really did a number to this place." Metal Bat said with a whistle "Looks like you redid everything." He noted as he and the others looked around.

As of the moment none of the heroes or their guests had yet to make it past the lobby of the resort, and this was mainly due to the fact that the lobby which had already been ornate and beautiful was now even more so. From the newly installed fountain that rested in the middle of the room, to the columns of porcelain which had spirals of gold going down their bodies that lined the pathway to the elevators and staircases, and even the ceiling which before only had one fairly magnificent chandelier now had five of them and they were all made of the finest diamond craftsmanship, if this was but the lobby they dared not imagine what more there was to see.

"We spared no expense in the renovations and additions, because without all of you well there'd be nothing at all anyways." Sitch explained.

"Still, seems like an awful lot of work to get done in just one week." Puri Puri Prisoner admitted as he looked towards Metal Knight who for some unknown reason had sent a robot in his stead "I'm guessing you had something to do with that?" He asked.

"You would be correct." Metal Knight confirmed as his robot took a step forward "I already had my vacation while I was renovating this place for the rest of you per the association's instruction, and so I've sent one of my robots instead for this to see how all of you enjoy the accommodations." He explained.

"What POSSIBLE benefit could you even get out of doing something like that?" Zombieman asked with a raised brow.

"Don't misunderstand I'm not planning to open my own chain of resorts, there'd be no worth in that." Metal Knight stated as his robot looked around the lobby "But the whole purpose of this resort is to rejuvenate heroes who have undergone extreme stress or who are in the process of recovering from their recent ordeal, so this has research value to me in regards to physical and mental recovery." He explained.

"So we're basically just your guinea pigs for better stress relief?" Metal Bat asked.

"If you wish to simplify like that then sure why not." Metal Knight replied "Now if you have any issues at any point do not feel the need to come and find my robot personally, I have several cameras all around the building as well as the employees who will be taking notes on how much you're enjoying yourselves." He explained as the robot looked to Sitch "I'll leave the rest to you." He said as his robot walked away.

Watching the machine leave through an entryway in the left wall while most of the heroes were a bit unsure as to how they felt in being observed for whatever Metal Knight was gaining out of this, that didn't distract them from the fact that they were still here and were fully ready to explore.

"And with that out of the way you're all free to explore the resort as much as you want!" Sitch said seeming to read their minds.

Unable to keep a resounding cheer from escaping them, with certain exceptions of course, the heroes and their guests all ran off in different directions to begin indulging in all the resort had to offer, all except for Saitama.

"Hmm..." He hummed as he looked to the ceiling "...I think I'll just go up to my room first." He decided as he headed to the elevators.

* * *

"Wow, this is different." Tatsumaki said once she and Geryuganshoop had entered her room.

Not even the bedrooms of the resort were spared from the massive renovations, for where they were once fairly large rooms the likes of which you'd see in a more costly hotel, they were now more so like high rise apartments complete with multiple rooms, a decent sized kitchen, and even a spacious outdoor balcony, it simply screamed luxury.

"This looks a lot like your home." He noted as they looked around "Though yours is a lot simpler in addition to being bigger."

"Yeah, this place is so flashy it kinda hurts my eyes." She admitted as she crossed her arms "Did they really have to go so overboard?" She asked with an exasperated sigh.

Moving himself over to the couch Geryuganshoop laid down on it as to make himself as comfortable as possible, since Tatsumaki wasn't going to be staying for much longer.

"So." She spoke as she drew all the curtains in the room shut "Someone's going to bring up my stuff pretty soon, but after that no one else but me should come in here so you won't need to keep yourself cloaked the whole time." She explained.

"Camouflaged." He corrected.

"Whatever." She replied with an eye roll "Anyways, the fridge should be stocked full of food and drinks, but if you need something just give me a shout." She instructed before looking to him "Any questions?" She asked.

"Yes just one." He admitted as he looked behind the couch to her "Are you sure this is a good idea? because I can just take the contents of the fridge and head back to your place, that way we won't be at any risk of me getting discovered." He suggested.

"What's the worse that can happen?" She asked only to immediately raise her hand to keep him from speaking "That was rhetorical." She told him before heading towards the door "I'll be back in a few hours, try not to make too big of mess will ya?" She asked as she walked out.

 _"Says the one who's hero name has the word tornado in it."_ He thought jokingly as he laid his head back.

 _ **"I heard that."**_ She told him via telepathy causing him to slightly jump from surprise.

 _ **"DON'T DO THAT!"**_ He replied causing her to actually laugh out loud in the hallway.

* * *

"This feels so good~" Kaemon sighed blissfully as they laid on their back with their eyes closed at the bottom of the pool.

Even though Saitama had gone up to his and Kaemon's room first as to just relax for a while and let everyone else calm down a little, Kaemon on the other made a direct beeline to the resort pool to see how it would be for them. However, unlike every other pool in the world the resort's pool didn't have any kind of chemicals in the water including chlorine. This was entirely thanks to Metal Knight, for while he didn't do something as extreme as fill the pool with nanobots or something else that absurd, he did create the world's most advanced filtration system that is capable of detecting even the most minuscule amount of outside elements and removing them in complete silence as to not be a disturbance. This in turn meant that thanks to there being no chemicals the water was basically the cleanest water on the planet, meaning Kaemon was currently sitting in a massive pool of pure bliss the likes of which they never felt before

But they weren't the only one eager to check out the pool first thing, and in just a few moments they would see a group of people they wouldn't have expected to see here at all.

"Hey Kaemon!" Someone called out to them causing them to open their eyes.

Looking towards the surface of the pool Kaemon was shocked to find Mutusuko standing at the edge of the pull waving at him.

"Mutsuko?" They asked before they pushed themselves to the water's surface with their hair and poked their head out of the water "What're you doing here?" They asked immediately.

"Oh we're here with the doctor!" She answered as she pointed towards the building "Even though he didn't do anything about the aliens, because I mean what COULD he have done anyways? the association still let him come on the retreat because he helped to treat all of the survivors of the attack!" She explained.

"Wow that's amazing!" They replied "So are the others here too? I'd like to get to know them since I've only ever heard stuff about them from you." They asked.

"Mhm! they're all getting changed right now! speaking of." She said as she struck a pose "What do you think of my bathing suit? think Saitama will notice?" She asked.

Taking a moment to look her over Kaemon admittedly didn't know what to say, not because they thought she looked ugly or something else of that nature but because while they too had come to wear clothes it was mainly because Tatsumaki and Saitama said it'd be better than walking around naked, so they didn't really have any opinions of how someone looked in clothes of any kind.

"It...looks good!" They complimented causing her to smile.

"That's great!" She replied as she looked to her back "I had to have the doctor's clones make one special for me, since I have wings and a second abdomen." She explained before she looked towards the building "Oh! here come the others!" She said causing Kaemon to look in the same direction.

Sure enough the remaining members of The House of Evolution came out of the resort dressed in their swimwear, and while Chikara of course seemed eager to show off his muscles the others had varying expressions and demeanor. From right to left beginning with Chikara he sported a bright red thong which THANKFULLY wasn't too snug and had a big proud grin plastered his face. Next was Bunji, and while he and the other members all wore basic trunks which were the colors of their skin/fur only a slight bit lighter, he seemed to be slightly uncomfortable as he was looking off to the side while scratching his cheek. After him was Atomu and while he didn't have his cyborg helmet on he did posses a sort of blank expression, not as though he was bored or not eager to try out the pool but he just wasn't overly excited or uncomfortable was all.

Then there was Kamakyuri, and while no one really knew how he got his trunks on due to his blade like appendages, he had his eyes closed as he walked as though he was already relaxing before he got into the pool or just onto a chair on the side. And finally there was the trio of Suguru, Fujio, and Genjiro, and besides being given better looking appearances after the whole Sea King inciddent, they also were a bit taller standing at around Kaemon's height with Genjiro for some reason being the only exception. As for their expressions however it was clear they were the most excited to try out the pool, even more so than Chikara and Mutsuko.

"There you guys are!" She exclaimed as she walked over to them "What took you all so long? all you had to do was put on some trunks." She asked.

"We had to wait on Kamakyuri." Atomu answered as he looked to the other "Speaking of, how did you even manage to get those on by the way?" He asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Kamakyuri said with a sigh "I've got to talk to the doctor about giving me some hands or something..." He muttered beneath his breath as he walked over to one of the poolside chairs to lie down.

"Well anyway, I'd like all of you to meet a friend of mine!" She said as she gestured to Kaemon "Guys this is Kaemon, they're the absolute most adorable little sea creature ever!" She praised causing them to look away.

"Oh come on I am not..." They replied bashfully.

"Oh yeah I remember you!" Chikara exclaimed as he snapped his fingers "You're the plant thing right? the one that got their head chopped off?" He asked.

Upon being reminded of their near death experience by Sea King, Kaemon's eyes widened just before they dived down into the water.

"Oh way to go Chikara!" Mutsuko scolded as she got into the pool to check on them.

"What? what did I say?" He asked causing Bunji to look at him.

"You literally just reminded them of what was probably the single worst moment of their life, and you're unsure as to WHY that would upset them?" He asked.

"Hey it was a bad day for everyone I didn't think they would care!" Chikara argued causing the others to sigh.

* * *

When it comes to eating a meal many people have different ways they'd like to go about it, some people are a bit simpler and want a nice basic with no extra flair or helpings, some want a fairly hefty meal where there is plenty of variety and maybe even a second helping to tide them over, and finally there were those who preferred the buffet style of eating where you ate as much as you wanted to until it felt like your stomach would burst. Thankfully for all of the S class's different preference when it came to eating the association was able to accommodate them perfectly with the world's largest and most diverse buffet line. From exotic foreign dishes to more familiar homemade ones, this buffet not only included foods and meals all ready and waiting but it also had things like deserts, beverages, snacks, and even candy, literally anything any of the heroes could possibly want at any given point in time it was sitting there ready for them to take it. Which is exactly what Atomic Samurai, Zombieman, Metal Bat, and of course Pig God all had in mind, as each of them had platters stacked with food as well as had countless bottles of booze and soda covering the table.

Except for Pig God, he didn't seem to care about the beverages and just focused on making his platter stack into a platter mountain as it was almost twice as big as he was.

"Oh man this is the life!" Metal Bat said as he bit off a piece of meat "Food from all over the world and all of it for the taking, what could be better?" He asked as he continued to chow down.

"I'll tell you what's better, beer from all over the world." Atomic Samurai said as he took a sip from one of his many beverages "I'll be lucky if I'm sober by Thursday!" He joked.

"Don't you guys think we should maybe pace ourselves?" Zombieman suggested as he pointed to his left.

Looking past him both Atomic Samurai and Metal Bet felt their eyes widen in horror as Pig God was literally just opening his mouth and swallowing a solid fourth of his platter's contents like a snake, causing them to look at their own stacks of food and beverages.

"Uh...yeah let's...slow down a bit ey?" Metal Bat agreed as he put down the slab of meat he had in his hand.

"Actually I think I'm gonna have this sent to the room for later, you guys wanna check out the gym?" Atomic Samurai asked receiving nods in response.

Quickly getting up from their seats and exiting the room, Pig god didn't even notice what they had said let alone that they left the room and just continued to consume his food at an admittedly alarming rate.

* * *

"Well...least the bed's more comfortable than my own." Saitama said as he stared towards the ceiling.

Most people when they see how luxurious their resort room is and experience the unrivaled comfort of their bed would be smiling from ear to ear and struggling to contain the full force of their excitement. But as anyone could've guessed while Saitama was in fact enjoying himself he still possessed the same meh demeanor and expression in the face of all these comforts. However, there was a new reason as to why Saitama was his meh self beyond just the unrivaled boredom of being the strongest hero in the world, and it had to do with the attack.

 _"He was the denominator of the universe..."_ Saitama recalled though once again managing to get the other's title wrong _"And yet I still didn't break a sweat, sure I was a little surprised when I realized I was in space, but I still didn't feel any excitement..."_ He went on as he looked towards his right hand _"The strongest being in the universe and I defeated him...what does that say about me?...am I the strongest being in the universe?...and if so...does that mean...there's no one who can beat me?..."_ He questioned.

Feeling a bit of depression creeping over him upon making this realization, Saitama was going to just lie there and maybe think on this some more until a knock at his room's door was heard. Unsure as to who would be knocking since everyone was busy exploring the resort, Saitama still got up from his bed and went to the door to find out and upon doing so found Tatsumaki standing on the other side.

"Oh hey." He greeted as he hadn't seen her in the lobby "What's up?" He asked.

"I figured you'd be in your room." She told him with an eye roll as she walked past him "It's just like you to hold yourself up on an all expenses paid vacation." She added as she sat down on his couch.

"I just wanted to let everyone else explore first is all." He replied as he closed the door "That way when I go and check everything out things won't be so crazy." He explained.

"Hm, I guess that makes sense." She admitted as she crossed her legs "Still, if you want I could show you the spa." She offered as he came over and sat beside her.

"What do they have in the spa that I'd want?" He asked causing her to scoff.

"What DON'T they have is the better question." She corrected as she held up her hand "First there's the deep tissue massages which are FANTASTIC, then you have the mud bathes which aren't like the ones you see on tv but are still really nice, they you have face cleansing which really takes away your stress." She listed counting each thing with her fingers.

"Sounds like you've been to the spa a lot." He noted.

"Well of course I have, do you know how frustrating it is to deal with idiots all the time? I NEED the spa here otherwise I'd just explode!" She told him "So you want to check it out?" She asked.

"Eh, I'll think about it, but right now I kinda just want to watch TV." He told her causing her to roll her eyes once more.

"WOW big shocker there." She remarked as he picked up the television and turned it on.

Now there are moments in time when we feel as though the universe as a collective whole is out to get us, where for some reason or another it feels like we've somehow done something horrible without realizing it and the universe is getting it's payback. This was the exact scenario for Saitama, for the moment he turned the TV on it was already on some sort of celebrity news network, the kind that talks about both celebrities and heroes. And it was on this very network channel that a show was playing, one that talked about the latest gossip and news about any kind of famous persons, and the story that was their current hot topic caused both his and Tatsumaki's eyes to widen in shock.

* * *

"So what do you REALLY think is going on between One Punch Man and the Blizzard of Hell? do you think they're actually a thing or was this just an outing with an industry professional?" One of the hosts a woman asked to a group of people surrounding her, more than likely the other hosts.

"Oh without question this was a date." One of the two guys present replied as he pointed to the screen behind them where a picture of Fubuki and Saitama leaving the clothing store was displayed "I mean, let's say for argument's sake that this was just an outing with a colleague or maybe even a friend, why would they both have purchased vacation clothes TOGETHER if there wasn't something more going on there?" He asked.

"He does make a point, the two clerks specifically wrote in their social media posts that both One Punch Man and the Blizzard of Hell had bought a yellow bath robe for him, and for her a decent amount of clothes that one would typically wear to either a beach, a pool, or just a vacation in general." The other guy said.

"Plus there's all the other places they went to, they stopped at a grocery store, a book store, and a very expensive restaurant, now for the restaurant you could just write that one off as like a business lunch or something, but the book store and the grocery store? while they're not the most glamorous places for a date it could be that they were looking for low key places to avoid too much attention." Another female host suggested earning a collective nod from the others.

* * *

However, before the show could go on any further the television suddenly exploded sending pieces of plastic and electronic parts flying all over the room. And while Saitama felt the need to look to Tatsumaki to see what had happened the truth was he REALLY didn't want to, as he could feel her eyes doing their best to try and burn a hole right into his head.

"Saitama..." She said in a shaky voice, no doubt due to the fact she was TRYING to control her quickly rising anger "WHAT do you have to say for yourself?" She asked.

Even though every fiber of his being was telling him to just sit there like a deer in the headlights and not do anything in hopes she would slowly begin to simmer down, he still found himself slowly turning to face her as to answer her question. But it seemed as though he wouldn't get the chance as the moment he opened his mouth to speak she threw him not just out of his own room but through the ENTIRE building, causing him to fly outwards until he crashed into the ground about thirty feet from the resort.

 _ **"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!"**_ She shouted at him via telepathy as he was far beyond the hearing range for her voice.

Even though he of course was not injured and felt no pain whatsoever, Saitama still found himself lying there staring up at the sky not moving in the slightest.

 _"Sometimes...I really do wish I'd gotten an office job..."_ He thought just as Tatsumaki began flinging his stuff out the same way he had gone, causing it to land all around him.


	44. The Heroes Retreat: Day One Aftermath

Have you ever witnessed a bomb exploding, and I don't mean like dynamite or even the kind of bomb you'd see in a video game or action movie, I mean something along the lines of a nuclear bomb test. The reason behind asking such a question is well, as stated previously it takes quite a bit to stir up any kind of excitement or emotion from most of the S class not just Saitama, and while they were already excited about their week long vacation it was something that transpired during the day that REALLY got them going. I'm of course referring to Fubuki and Saitama's "Relationship", which by now had spread throughout the building to all of the heroes, their guests, and the staff like a raging wildfire.

Now there were some individuals who kept a calm demeanor about the whole thing such as Metal Knight, Doctor Genus, most of the members of the House of Evolution, and Pig God, mainly because all of these people weren't that interested in Saitama's love life nor minded if he was dating Fubuki. And while yes of course King and Genos among ALL of them were the most rational and decided not to believe anything without getting the full story, as for everyone else well...it was safe to assume that they were letting their curiosities and speculations get the better of them. This was ESPECIALLY the case for Tatsumaki though and it was for multiple reasons with the first being her overprotective sister side wanting to just choke the life out of Saitama for sneaking behind her back to see her little sister. The second was due to her own feelings for him which was making her insanely jealous at the notion they could even be a thing, while the third was a sudden wave of insecurities like "What if it's because I'm always making fun of him?" and "Maybe it's because I'm so short?".

But thankfully sometime long ago in man's history, an invention was made that could help in all manner of trouble no matter what the problem may be. I'm of course referring to the age old solution to all of mankind's issues, booze. Though in her current state it was very easy to compare her to a toilet, as both a toilet and her as of now are very good at making liquid disappear.

"HOW could they do this to me?" She asked aloud to herself as she took a drink, her words accompanied by a variety of slurs on top of her barely being able to get them out at all " **I** am the TORNADO of TERROR!" She exclaimed as she pointed to herself "AND I DESERVE TO BE IN THE KNOW BEFORE ANYONE!" She added before taking the bottle currently in her hand and tilting it upside down in her mouth.

"Um...Tatsumaki?" Geryuganshoop asked as he raised a tendril and pointed towards the bottle "Don't you think you've had enough? you've been drinking for hours now." He pointed out as she took the bottle from her mouth.

"WHO d-do YOU think YOU are?!" She questioned as she pointed to him "YOU would be DEAD if I didn't SAVE your ASS!" She exclaimed as her hand swayed a little.

"Yes, and I am grateful for that." He assured as he moved closer to her "And that is why I think you should stop drinking for the time being, because otherwise you might end up completely destroying your liver." He said causing her to scoff.

"What do YOU know?" She asked as she pointed to his tendrils "YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A L-LIVER!" She shouted.

"Actually, that's correct." He admitted as he shook his head "But that's not the point, YOU have a liver and from what little I know of humans drinking this much alcohol isn't good for them, on top of that you're an esper which means when you are no longer inebriated it'll be a LONG while before you can use your powers again." He explained.

"S-So?" She asked wobbling a bit.

"So I'm trying to lessen the amount of time before you're back to normal by getting you to stop drinking." He answered as he wrapped one of his tendrils around the bottle "So I'll just take this and-"

Unfortunately for Geryuganshoop he wouldn't get the bottle out of her hand, as the moment he tried to take it she latched onto the tendril with her teeth.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" She shouted though a bit muffled as she bit down on his appendage.

Unable to keep himself from screaming in pain he began doing his best to remover her while not hurting her, which involved shaking the appendage wildly in hopes it'd get her off.

"WHAT KIND OF PERSON BITES SOMEONE?!" He shouted as he did his best to shake her off.

"THE KIND WHO'LL RIP YOUR ARM OFF IF YOU TAKE MY BOOZE!" She shouted back as she bit down harder.

Continuing to shake her as well as scream every time she bit down more, due to this sudden altercation as well as Tatsumaki's inebriated state, neither were able to sense someone coming down the hall towards their room.

 _"God she's probably wasted by now..."_ Fubuki thought with a sigh _"It's going to be hell trying to explain this whole thing to her, but maybe she's drunk enough to listen while not being drunk enough to forget everything I say."_ She hoped as she reached her sister's room.

However, just as she was about to knock the sounds of struggle could be heard on the other side causing her to briefly stop.

 _"Is she throwing things around?"_ She wondered with a raised brow _"She's a pretty rowdy drunk but I didn't think she could get THIS rowdy."_ She admitted as she grabbed onto the handle and opened the door.

Fully expecting to see her sister and maybe some tossed furniture once the door was opened, Fubuki was frozen stiff in her sport at what was ACTUALLY going on inside the room. There on the other side of the room was in fact her sister, but in addition to her there was also a massive dark blue colored octopus looking creature, and as for what was going on between them it looked like she was biting down on one of it's arms while it used the others to try and pry her off.

"LET GO OF MY ARM YOU PSYCHOTIC LUNATIC!" It shouted as it did it's best to pry her loose.

"NOT UNTIL YOU LET GO OF MY BOOZE YOU JACKASS!" She replied as she bit down some more.

This would go on only for a few seconds more as once Fubuki's mind had fully processed she was seeing it swiftly had her shout the only thing that seemed appropriate.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" She shouted which caused them both to freeze.

Slowly but surely as both seemed to check and make sure they had heard the same voice speak they both looked towards the doorway and found Fubuki standing there seeming to be both shocked and perhaps a little horrified. But before anything else could happen, Fubuki was suddenly pulled into the room while the door shut and locked behind her. This was thanks to Geryuganshoop who despite both the pain and shock he was feeling was smart enough to use his esp to get her into the room as to avoid making a clearly doomsday esque situation even worse. In addition it seemed as though the shock had sobered Tatsumaki up just a bit as after Geryuganshoop had brought her sister into the room she let go of his tendril to speak to her.

"Fubuki." She spoke as he released her from his other tendrils "I-I can explain." She assured as she took a step forward.

"What the...who...WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!" Fubuki shouted as she pointed to him barely able to get the question out as there were just so many racing through her mind.

"Listen, I KNOW this is weird but you've got to trust me and believe me when I say that-" Tatsumaki began to explain only to stop mid sentence.

"Tatsumaki?" Fubuki asked she looked at her sister "A-Are you okay?"

A brief silence took the room as that question lingered in the air and it was only ended once Tatsumaki put a hand to her mouth before running straight for the bathroom. A few seconds later they both could hear her VIOLENTLY vomiting, for while yes she HAD consumed an insane amount of liquor, it was mostly due to the sudden excitement and shock that really gave her insides what for. Of course though both Fubuki and Geryuganshoop hurried to the bathroom as to help her but once they both reached the doorway she used her esp to shove him into the wall keeping him from going in.

"YOU stay out here!" She told him as she slammed the door shut.

Slowly sliding down the wall and spreading himself out on the floor, he couldn't keep himself from sighing at how much of a disaster this had become.

"Some start to a vacation..." He said while shaking his head.


	45. The Heroes Retreat: The Morning After

Technology is truly a wondrous thing that is limited only by one's imagination and drive to progress it. Thankfully when it came to Metal Knight he was never lacking either of these, which is exactly how he was able to repair all the damage done by Tornado over the course of a few hours. For while he did in fact only have the one man sized robot at the resort for research purposes, he did have a multitude of drones about the size of bowling balls that only appeared if there was ever an issue with the resort that the staff could not handle by themselves. And seeing as how before the repairs the damage looked like someone shot a torpedo through the building, it's safe to say that all robotic hands needed to be on deck for this one.

Thankfully though no one was put out by this as by the time they all decided to finally turn in for the night the drones were nearly done anyways, with just a few things like light bulbs, vases, vending machines, and some chairs that still needed to be replaced. Yet even with everyone still able to return to their rooms, sleep soundly in their beds, and wake up to begin a bright new day of their vacation, they were all still focused on the major world shaker that they were given the day before. But even as everyone got up and headed for the dining hall for breakfast, chatting and gossiping as they went, NONE of them came close to feeling as confused about everything as Fubuki was, who at the moment was busy putting her passed out older sibling to bed.

"There we go." She said to herself as she pulled the covers over her sister "You just rest and I'll be back to check on you later." She told her even though she knew she couldn't hear her.

Looking over Tatsumaki one more time just to make sure she was okay and would be asleep for a good long while, Fubuki went on to leave the room and close the door as quietly as she could behind her. But the moment the door was shut and everything seemed well for now, she immediately turned on her heels and glared daggers as hate filled and fiery as the fires of hell towards Geryuganshoop, who had gone to sleep on the couch after she had locked the bathroom door.

"Alright you." She spoke as she slowly walked over trying her best to intimidate him "You only have three minutes to explain what you are and why you're here with my sister, so talk." She ordered as she looked down at him.

Even though he was awake and had been the moment heard the bathroom door open, he was still terribly tired from both the events of last night as well as not having been able to sleep in an actual bed, which caused him to look at her with a half lidded gaze.

"I don't have to tell you anything." He told her as he closed his eyes all the way "Just wait for your sister to wake up and she'll explain everything." He instructed as he did his best to go back to sleep.

Upon hearing this reply however Fubuki without hesitation lifted him into the air as to show him how serious she was.

"I'm not going to repeat myself, so either you start talking or I'll show you why I'm known as the Blizzard of Hell." She warned her glare intensifying as she did.

But just as swiftly as she had lifted him from the couch did she soon find herself suddenly pressed to the floor unable to move even in the smallest way like moving her eyes around. Completely stunned as to what was going on she wasn't able to speak or make any kind of sound either, so she couldn't ask him what the hell he was doing even as he slowly floated from above the couch to above her.

"Listen here child." He spoke though his voice was far colder and more serious than it had been before "I do not care if you are Tatsumaki's sister, I do not care if you are a hero, and I definitely do not care that you have esp, for I am Geryuganshoop the SUPREME telekinetic force in the universe." He told her as he lowered himself even more so that their faces were but a few inches apart "And I will NOT be threatened into doing YOUR bidding, I've already had enough of people ordering me around like they own me, and I will not let anyone especially an ignorant woman such as yourself who cares not to have the full story before she makes assumptions and accusations have the pleasure of doing so, are. we. clear?" He asked her allowing her just enough control over herself to nod which she did immediately "Good, now that we have that settled, please let me get some rest so I can actually be of some use to her later and not more of burden than I already am." He said as he released her.

Getting upright and moving back to the front of the couch Geryuganshoop simply let his body fall and land on the cushions, no longer caring about comfort but just wanting to sleep some more. As for Fubuki, while she was of course a bit taken aback by that entire exchange, one thing he had said in particular was sticking to her like glue.

 _"More of a burden than I already am?"_ She thought as she sat upright and looked towards the couch _"That sounds like something I would've said...back when..."_ She began to recall only to have her eyes widen _"Did she?...save his life?"_ She wondered as new thoughts and ideas began pouring in.

 **(A/N: This should be the only time during this arc that a specific day is split into three parts, I'm sorry that I have extended the arc's total chapter count by doing this but I both wanted and felt that this particular situation deserved a bit more exploration before we continue focusing on everyone per chapter, thank you and until next time peace)**


	46. The Heroes Retreat: Day Two

**(A/N: Before we begin I just wanted to give a personal thank you to a guest reviewer by the name of Amrita, who not only reads this story herself but also her daughter does as well, thank you so much for your kind words and you will be happy to know that I already do have plans for the C class hero Swim in the near future, again thank you so much for your review as I personally have been feeling incredibly depressed lately and that motivated me to get this chapter out, sorry for the pre-chapter ramble and without further hindrance, enjoy)**

You know, some would think that after being thrown through a building, having all your stuff be tossed around on the grass, then having to pick said stuff up from the ground and carry it back in would leave that person quite unhappy. But of course Saitama wasn't the kind of guy to get angry over something like that, though it was partly because he just didn't feel any kind of pain. Instead he just headed back inside and back to his room, where Tatsumaki of course had already left and now there was just a big gaping hole where his door once was. This then led him to simply turn in for the rest of the day, for while he wasn't really tired he didn't feel like trying to explain the situation to Tatsumaki at the moment, as well as deal with everyone else and all of their questions about what was going on.

And while by the time he woke up his room was completely fixed and all of the clothes he had brought back in had been washed to perfection, he knew that the moment he ran into someone he'd be getting an earful. Which is exactly why as of this moment as he headed down to the ground floor in one of the elevators, he did his best to think of a way to maybe try and keep the focus off of what happened, or at the very least figure out a way to continuously change the topic.

 _"Maybe I could talk about the weather?"_ He thought only to shake his head dismissively _"Nah that's boring, plus it's been nothing but sunshine all week."_ He noted as a sigh escaped him "God this is gonna suck..." He groaned as the elevator came to a stop.

Stepping out once the doors were open, Saitama wanting to get this over with as a fast as possible headed straight for the dining hall. But the moment he reached the two ornate wooden doors that led to the space and opened them, he was not met with a bombardment of questions or even a mob that wanted to talk with him about the matter, instead he found everyone just sitting there at the table with their food quietly eating. Admittedly shocked by this he slowly entered the room somewhat on guard in case something was afoot.

"Hey Saitama." King called as he pointed to an empty chair between him and Genos "Saved you a seat."

"Thanks." Saitama replied as he walked over and sat down.

"We got you some pancakes and bacon, figured that'd be all you'd want anyways." King told him as he went back to eating.

Looking down at the plate in front of him before taking another look at everyone, he slowly leaned over to Genos before whispering in his ear.

"Psst, Genos." He spoke softly as to gain the other's attention "Why's everyone so calm?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Genos questioned in a softened tone as well.

"Doesn't everyone know about...well you know?" Saitama wondered.

"Are you referring to you and Fubuki?" Genos asked.

"Of course I am." Saitama confirmed with a nod.

"Well, the truth is they were all talking about it a few minutes ago, but they had Suguru stay on alert for when you were coming." Genos explained.

"...Who?" Saitama asked as he had never heard that name before.

"Him." Genos clarified as he pointed down the table.

Looking in the direction he was pointing Saitama saw at the end of the table all of the members of the House of Evolution, excluding the clones of course. And while yes he did in fact see them when he walked in along with everyone else at the table, he only really registered doctor Genus and Mutsuko as they were the only two he really knew. But beyond being slightly surprised that they were all there he found which member Genos was pointing to specifically, a five foot ten creature that had pinkish skin and looked like some kind of cross between a man and a slug. Now given the fact this was one of doctor Genus's creations Saitama of course was expecting it to look a little strange given it was basically a human animal hybrid, but this one was without question the weirdest looking one of the bunch.

And it wasn't because of it's skin nor because it was a slug human mix, it was because it didn't have any facial features other than a mouth which was almost impossible to see when it was closed.

"Dude what the hell?!" He asked as he just stared at it unable to look away "Why doesn't that one look like the others?!"

"Actually he did, before the Sea King killed him." Genos admitted as he readied a bite of his meal on his fork "After that doctor Genus decided the improve the designs of him, Fujio, and Genjiro." He explained as he pointed to the frog and mole looking ones.

"And THAT'S the improved version?" Saitama asked.

"Yes, both functionally as well as aesthetically." Genos assured as he pointed to Suguru's head "Thanks to this new form his telekinetic powers are much greater and it also allows more room for improvement." He explained as he placed his fork in his mouth.

"Okay but still, did he REALLY look that bad before?" Saitama asked.

Deciding not to answer verbally as he was currently chewing, Genos instead took out his cellphone and showed Saitama a picture of what he looked like before.

"Oh." He said simply as he now stared at the photo "...Wait...why do you have this?" He asked.

"Just like you I too had questions regarding his new appearance." Genos answered after swallowing "So when I asked Mutsuko, she sent me these pictures for comparison." He admitted as he began to scroll through his photos.

Looking at the next two photos which were of Fujio and Genjiro, Saitama had to admit they did all look much better than they used to. Fujio's changes consisted of a new height of six feet, a slimmer body for better mobility, and he was now a poison dart tree frog, which in turn changed the color of his skin to yellow with black spots. As for Genjiro he actually didn't get a whole lot changed to him, the only things Saitama could see was he no longer had the kanji of "Ground Dragon" on his chest and his snout had been brought a bit closer to his face, making him admittedly look like a plush toy.

"Huh, well what about him?" Saitama asked as he pointed to Kamakyuri "Didn't he used to be green? and have his brain on display?"

"Yes he did, though he apparently changed his appearance before he was killed by the Sea King." Genos answered "If I remember correctly, she said he changed his form during a battle with a ninja." He noted.

"A ninja?" Saitama asked as he looked to the ceiling "I wonder if...nah." He said as he shrugged off that idea.

With that conversation finally coming to it's end both Saitama and Genos resumed eating their meals, and while Saitama could feel a few glances and occasional stares over the course of the meal it managed to go to the end in relative peace and silence. But the moment he had finished eating his breakfast and carried his plate, glass, and silverware to the proper bin for collection and then went on to leave the room, everyone slowly looked towards the two doors as to make sure he wasn't coming back.

"...Okay, he's out of hearing range." Suguru told them giving them the all clear.

As if those words had been the match to light the fire the room suddenly erupted in a sea of conversations, theories, and gossip all revolving around Saitama and Fubuki.

"I'm surprised they were able to keep it in the whole time he was eating." King admitted as he finished off his juice "Wanna follow Saitama and see if he wants to hang out?" He asked as he looked towards Genos.

"It would be better than listening to this." Genos replied as he gathered his things.

Standing up with their items at the same time the duo both put their things in the bin as Saitama had done before leaving the dining hall.

* * *

War drums, cannons firing, planes crashing, and mortar shells exploding, all of these loud booming noises held not a feather to the unbearable pounding that was going on inside of Tatsumaki's head. What made it worse though is that this horrid feeling of sickness and pain had pulled her out a very pleasant dream, the likes of which she hadn't had in quite some time. In the dream she and Fubuki were children again, and unlike their busy lives now as heroes they didn't have a care in the world. They played and ran about as little children do, and they even had a tea party where one of the animals admittedly looked like a stuffed toy version of Geryuganshoop.

But in truth while this was a nice dream that part at the end was probably what actually woke her up, for while most little girls did enjoy tea parties and other girly things of that nature, Tatsumaki had always been fairly mature even back then. But sadly this trip down memory lane was to be saved for a different time, for as consciousness returned to her she really wished it wasn't. Her whole body felt sort especially her throat, her senses felt both numb yet hyper sensitive, and as for her head oh god did it kill her, for if you think a hangover sucks try imagining what it's like for a psychic like her. To put it simply when one becomes a psychic or shows psychic potential, their brain is already far more sensitive to certain things that normal people's brains are not.

And while this isn't meant to imply she was more aware of certain things or perhaps had a sharper wit about her than most, it basically meant that her brain was more easily affected by developments regarding both natural growth as well as things like training or even experiments. But this sensitivity was a two way street, if kept in perfect health and treated properly her brain like any other true psychic's was capable of limitless power and potential, but when subject to things like alcohol it could cause far greater disorientation and in the case of a hangover far greater pain than that of a normal person's.

"Ugh..." She groaned as she slowly placed a heavy hand to her forehead "God I feel like shit..." She said as she tried her best to get out of bed.

And it truly was an effort to even so much as get her legs to dangle off the mattress, as her whole body felt like it had been filled with concrete and tossed to the bottom of a lake. But through willpower and the knowledge that this wouldn't get any better if she just lied there like a paper weight, she managed to get her legs off of the bed and her feet soon on the floor.

"Okay...easy part's done..." She said as she gripped the sheets "Now to not fall on my face..."

Slowly she rose up into a standing position, where immediately she leaned forward and placed her hands against the wall to help her keep balance. From then on it was like a child's first steps as she inched her way across the wall, to the door, and into the hallway. Thankfully she wouldn't need to repeat the process, as the moment she was seen exiting her room her sister rushed over and placed her hands on her back and chest.

"Easy now." Fubuki spoke in a soft comforting voice "I've already made you some tea that should help with the sickness, and I'm making some dry toast for you to eat with it." She told her as she helped her to the table.

"You...don't have to help me..." Tatsumaki told her as Fubuki pulled a chair out with her esp.

"No I do." She replied as she helped her sit down "But not just because I'm your sister, because it's my fault you got sick like this." She said causing Tatsumaki to give her a quizzical look.

"What're you talking about?" She asked.

"I should've told you about me and Saitama going shopping." Fubuki said with a sigh as she straightened herself "I just didn't think it would blow up into something so absurd like this." She explained.

"Yeah well...that's Saitama's fans for you..." Tatsumaki pointed out.

"Still, I should've realized that somehow it would've been blown out of proportion." Fubuki admitted as she picked up the tea kettle that had been resting on the counter "And I should've known you'd react to it like this." She added as she poured both of them a cup.

"What do you mean?" Tatsumaki questioned.

"I mean anytime something happens with me you usually get drunk." Fubuki clarified as she walked back over "Whether it's when we have a fight or if I show the SLIGHTEST interest in someone, you get all overprotective of me and go on a binge." She said as she set down the cups.

"You make me sound like an alcoholic." Tatsumaki said as she took her cup into her hands.

"No you just don't know how to deal with your emotions is all." Fubuki said as she took the other cup into hers "I keep telling you it's okay to talk about your feelings, but you just bottle them up until this happens."

"I do not." Tatsumaki argued as she took a sip which caused her eyes to close due to how good it tasted "I show people how much they piss me off all the time."

"Only because that's the only emotion you show when there's more than one person around." Fubuki countered as she also took a sip "When you're alone with me you can show your other emotions sometimes, but whenever there's other people you always act like they just annoy you to no end."

"That's not true I don't act that way around Saitama!" Tatsumaki exclaimed before quickly putting a hand to her head.

"Not all the time no." Fubuki agreed as she kept her sister's cup from spilling with her esp "But you still call him names, make fun of him, and insult him constantly." She pointed out.

Upon hearing that however Tatsumaki suddenly went quiet as she really didn't have an argument against that.

"...He doesn't seem to care when I do..." She replied while looking away, it being so quiet it was nearly a whisper.

"True, but then again he's by far one of the most patient people we've ever met, and I honestly don't know if that's how he's always been or if he became that patient when he became a hero." Fubuki admitted.

"You mean when he started losing his emotions." Tatsumaki corrected.

"Well...yeah..." Fubuki replied as she looked down sadly at her tea.

This time both sisters fell silent as they thought about Saitama, and how rarely he ever showed any kind of emotion whatsoever.

"...Do you...do you think he could even feel the same way?" Tatsumaki asked causing her sister to look at her "I mean...he can still feel emotions...but let's just say that one day one of us decided to try and go for it you know?...can he even feel emotions like that anymore?" She asked.

"I...I don't know..." Fubuki replied "I honestly do feel bad for him, I can't imagine what it must be like to be as bored all the time as he is."

"Maybe that's why he let's us hang out with him all the time." Tatsumaki suggested "I mean we do just drop in whenever we feel like, and yet he's always so okay with it."

"Because we make things interesting?" Fubuki asked.

"Yeah exactly." Tatsumaki said with a nod "You, me, King, Kaemon, Mutsuko, and even Genos make his life a little more exciting."

"What about the fans and the fame though?" Fubuki questioned.

"That crap's nothing but a nuisance at this point." Tatsumaki replied "Sure it was nice at first but now everyone acts like a stalker around him, camping outside his house following his every move, hanging onto every single word he says, he's barely got any kind of private life."

"That's true." Fubuki agreed "But ya know, the fans haven't actually been outside his place for weeks now, same goes for the news crews and reporters."

Upon hearing that be said Tatsumaki casually looked off to the side while taking a unusually long sip from her tea.

"Tatsumaki..." Fubuki said in a very assuming tone.

"Hm?" She sounded still sipping her drink.

"What did you do?" Fubuki asked as her sister lowed her tea.

"Okay look." She said as she looked back to her sibling "One day I went to his place just to check in on Kaemon and see how they were adjusting to their new life on the surface, then like a freaking horde of locusts those idiots all showed up and started chanting over and over again ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH ONE PUNCH!" She recounted while lightly pumping her fist into the air "So I went outside, lifted them all into the air, and told them if they didn't leave Saitama alone I'd throw them into the sun, after that they just stopped showing up." She explained causing her sister to sigh.

"THIS is EXACTLY what I'm talking about." Fubuki said as she placed a hand to her temple "You could've just asked them to leave him alone but no, you instead chose to threaten them."

"Hey it worked didn't it?" Tatsumaki asked "And besides, it's not like Saitama's complaining about it, he probably would thank me if he knew." She said causing her sister to release another sigh.

However, before they could continue their conversation they heard the sounds of movement coming from the couch, causing them to look towards it and see Geryuganshoop waking up. Letting out a yawn as he stretched out his tendrils, he slowly opened his eyes only to find the duo staring at him. An awkward silence came between the three as neither really knew what to say in this situation, but this would not last long as Fubuki brought both the tea kettle as well as another cup over to the table with her esp.

"Would you like some tea?" She offered which not only shocked him but Tatsumaki as well.

"Um yes, thank you." He replied as he got up from the couch and moved to the table.

Taking a seat between the two sisters, once his tea had been poured he took the cup into one of his tendrils before taking a sip.

"This...is excellent tea." He complimented as he looked towards Fubuki "Is it a personal recipe?" He asked causing her to smile.

"Yes actually it is." She answered causing him to smile as well.

And so, with an olive branch seemingly exchanged between them the trio went on to drink their tea as the story of how he came to be in Tatsumaki's company became the new topic of their conversation.


	47. The Heroes Retreat: Day Two Aftermath

Strange as it may sound the second day of the heroes' vacation went by as quick as the first did as the hot topic of mouth was still Saitama and Fubuki. And while they all didn't just sit around and chit chat, they still were incredibly focused on this "revelation" as they hadn't really gotten any hardcore truths. Sure there was speculation and of course rumors coinciding theories, but neither Saitama nor Fubuki had given any kind of comments or validation to any of it, leaving them all hanging in a sense. Now one might wonder why not just ask them, and the reasons why they didn't were in all honesty VERY obvious.

The first was Saitama and while they all knew he would never so much as smack them on the cheek, they still didn't want to anger him or bother him because they all respected him and admittedly saw him as the leader of S class. The second reason was because whether they asked Saitama or Fubuki, chances are Tatsumaki would confront them and while Saitama would never hurt them no matter the circumstance, she most certainly would. At any rate, while the others had gone about their days enjoying the resort's luxuries while still talking about this "relationship", Saitama spent the entire day in the company of Genos, King, and even Kaemon who joined them after breakfast was done, and for the first time since he arrived he was actually enjoying himself. As for Tatsumaki, she spent the day in her room recovering from her "sickness", all the while Fubuki and Geryuganshoop did as much as they could to help her while making sure they didn't insult her by insinuating she couldn't help herself.

All in all the day while not what most planned was overall enjoyable for everyone, but all good things come to an end at some point which Saitama and Tatsumaki are soon about to find out.

* * *

 **"YOU WIN!"** The arcade console's announcer exclaimed as King beat the game.

To ensure their day would be as pleasant as possible King suggested they should all do something that each of them wanted to do. First they went to Saitama's room and hanged out there for a while, then they went to the fitness/training area per Genos's request, after that they just walked around the resort and explored as much as they could due to Kaemon's overwhelming curiosity, and finally they ended up in the recreation area so King could see what kind of games they had there. But to his and the other's surprise the recreation room turned out to be the most insanely advanced thing about the resort, courtesy of Metal Knight's genius of course. A good way to explain how the room functioned would be to imagine those two in one table games they sell in stores, the kind that are both an air hockey table and a pool table at once, that was essentially how the recreation room functioned.

Using a dial that rested right next to the doors you could actually make the room change into a completely new room, and the choices available were quite impressive. The first choice was of course a game room complete with a pool table, tennis table, air hockey table, and so forth as well as every conceivable arcade machine you could possibly imagine, making the whole space seem more like an arcade than a rec room. The second choice was an movie theater complete with a massive screen that would be revealed via the opposite wall as well as most of the room being filled with the finest in reclining heated leather seats. The third choice was a bowling alley which came with complimentary balls all designed to fit as well as be aesthetically pleasing to each of the S class heroes and their invited guests.

To be honest the list was very extensive and while curiosity had led them to see the room change from an arcade into a movie theater, they decided to stop there as they might've been doing that for the remainder of the day. Anyways, once their fascination with a room that "magically" could change into a completely new room was over, they soon found a similar fascination take it's place as they watched King beat every arcade game the room had to offer while getting all of the high scores.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Kaemon shouted as King put in his initials "YOU'RE LIKE, A GOD AT GAMES!" They praised causing him to shrug his shoulders.

"I just like to play them is all, don't really try to be the best or anything." He replied humbly before turning around to face them.

"I've never seen you play a game before King, but after today I have to agree with Kaemon." Genos admitted.

"Yeah King's ridiculous at video games." Saitama added as he crossed his arms "Every time we've ever played a game against each other he always beats me."

"Most of the time when we play games Saitama they're mostly fighting games, and all you ever do is just spam low kicks." King noted.

"HEY! That strategy is going to work someday and then we'll see who's the winner!" Saitama argued causing King to roll his eyes.

"Sure Saitama." He said as he looked towards the clock on the wall "Hey it's almost time for dinner, should we head to dining hall or just head back to one of our rooms and eat there?" He asked.

"Why wouldn't we go to the dining hall, it's only like a two minute walk from here?" Saitama asked.

"Because the others are probably going to bring up you and Fubuki this time, I just figured you'd want to avoid that is all." King answered with a shrug.

"Yeah well dodging them all the time isn't going to make it any better, so we might as well get it over with." Saitama replied as he walked towards the exit.

Following him out of the room and in relative silence on the way, the only time any of them said anything else was when they reached the dining hall doors.

"So uh..." Kaemon spoke causing them to stop "What...is the truth about you and Fubuki?" They asked.

"We went shopping." Saitama simply answered.

"Well yeah we knew that but is there anything to what they're saying?" They asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I think what Kaemon is trying to ask is whether or not there is something between the two of you but not in the way of an actual relationship." Genos explained.

"...I don't follow." Saitama replied causing all of them to sigh.

"Look." King spoke while raising his hands "What he means is could there be something between you and Fubuki, or was it all just rumors and speculation." He clarified.

Silence came over them as Saitama actually seemed to think on that for a moment or two, but within just a minute or so of contemplation he had an answer all sorted out.

"I've never really seen her like that to be honest." He admitted as he put a hand to his chin "Actually I haven't been interested in anyone since I became a hero, guess it's just never really been a priority for me, hope that answers your question."

Looking between themselves as if they were having a silent conversation King, Genos, and Kaemon while still a little curious to explore this some more decided that they were both satisfied with his answer as well as didn't want to annoy him with anymore questions.

"Yup sounds good to me!" Kaemon exclaimed with a smile on their face "Now let's get some chow!" They said as they pushed one of the doors open.

"I thought you didn't need to eat food?" Genos asked as they all went inside.

"Doesn't mean I don't like to eat!" They replied as they let door close behind them.

* * *

"Oh that is so not true!" Geryuganshoop objected as he lowered his cards to the table "I have been kicking your butt in chess all week long!"

Some might think that any game involving cards would be the most easily cheated game to be played among psychics, and while they would be right seeing as how Geryuganshoop, Tatsumaki, and Fubuki were some of the most powerful psychic beings to be known, they would easily be able to tell if one of them was cheating. Plus there was an added bonus to just playing card games all day, as the conversations they were able to have now that Fubuki knew of his existence allowed for some interesting topics to come into play. The first of course was Geryuganshoop's backstory which Tatsumaki kept completely silent for as she honestly liked hearing it again herself, then they talked about what role he played on Boros's ship and what had happened during the battle which again Tatsumaki kept silent for, but once they started talking about how they had met and how they had been getting along over the past week did she finally have something to say.

"As if calamari!" Tatsumaki retorted using his nickname to further agitate him "I've just been letting you win." She assured as a cocky superior smirk appeared on her face.

"You really are a psychic then." He said as a smirk found it's way onto his face as well "Because you just read EXACTLY what I was thinking." He told her causing her eyes to widen.

"Oooooooooh you are SO going into a stew!" She threatened causing both him and Fubuki to laugh.

Unable to keep herself from smiling Fubuki watched as Tatsumaki began to throw even more "threats" towards Geryuganshoop in response to his laughing, and for the first time in a long time see saw something she thought she would never see again. She saw her sister making a new friend without any kind of help from her, Saitama, or any of the others, for the first time since Kaemon she was actually opening herself up to another person besides her, and to her that was one of the most wonderful things she could've ever hoped for.

"Alright you two, can we get back to the game?" She asked causing her sister to point towards him.

"Not until squid boy here admits I've been kicking his butt at chess all week!" She exclaimed causing him to roll his eyes.

"I would, but then all I'd be doing is fueling your delusion~" He mused.

However, just as Tatsumaki was about to issue another series of "threats" in response to that she instead noticed what time it was via the clock that rested on the wall just above the television.

"Oh wow it's seven thirty." She said causing them to look at the clock as well "We've been sitting here talking all day." She realized.

"Huh so we have." Fubuki noted as a thought came to her "Hey, isn't dinner served right around this time?" She asked.

"Mhm, but I don't feel like going down there for dinner." Tatsumaki answered as she rested her head in her palm "Everyone's probably still taking about your so called relationship with Saitama, and I still have a headache so I don't feel like dealing with it." She said.

"You're going to have to deal with it at some point." Fubuki replied as she looked towards her sibling "It's not like you can hide up here for the rest of the trip."

"Yeah that's what I'm busy doing." Geryuganshoop chimed in as he looked at his cards "You should just get this over with so you can enjoy the rest of your vacation." He reasoned.

"Exactly, so why don't I bring some of the tea with us so that way you won't feel so bad during dinner hm?" Fubuki suggested.

Looking between the two of them while Tatsumaki REALLY didn't want to hear all of their questions and all of their gossip she did also want to enjoy her well deserved vacation, so with a reluctant sigh she got up from her seat and headed for her bedroom.

"I'm going to take a shower real quick and change out of this dress, you go get ready too and I'll meet you by the elevator." She instructed before she stopped to point at Geryuganshoop "And YOU get the chess board ready, I'm kicking your ass when dinner's over." She told him before she went through the door.

 _"If you're not completely inebriated by the time you get back."_ He thought with a smirk as he rose up from his seat.

 ** _"We heard that."_** Both Fubuki and Tatsumaki said via telepathy causing him to fall down backwards in his chair.

 ** _"NO MORE SPEAKING VIA TELEPATHY WITHOUT WARNING!"_** He mentally shouted back at them causing them both to laugh.

* * *

Over the course of the next thirty minutes all of the heroes arrived to the dining hall, got their meals and drinks, then proceeded to sit down. Now of course given the fact Saitama was not the last one to arrive this time but was one of the first people there the seats were admittedly a lot different than they were before. For example, before hand during breakfast all of the members of the House of Evolution had sat together on the same side of the table, now besides Mutsuko sitting directly across from Saitama Bunji also chose the seat next to her right while the others still sat together further down the table. As for the rest of S class and their guests such as Iaian with Atomic Samurai, they all in relation to when they arrived also tried to get a seat close to Saitama for the sake of being able to talk to him during the meal.

The only exception however were two empty seats to the left of Mutsuko, for while everyone did want to talk with Saitama and sit as close to him as they could they knew very well Tatsumaki and Fubuki would want to as well, and no one in their right mind wanted to try and make the two sisters sit anywhere they didn't want to. Though to be fair Fubuki would've been perfectly fine with it, more so it was Tatsumaki that'd have a temperament about it. Speaking of the two sisters, both of them were just about to enter the dining hall and join the others only to stop as Fubuki had something she wanted to say first.

"Tatsumaki." She spoke causing her sibling to stop and look at her "Before we go in I need you to promise me you won't get angry."

"Why would I get angry?" She asked as she put her hands on her hips.

In response to that question Fubuki simply crossed her arms and gave her sister a look that said "Really?", which seemed to get her point across.

"Alright alright you've made your point." Tatsumaki replied with an eye roll "Look, I promise I won't threaten anyone or shout okay?" She offered.

"And you won't use your esp right? you do still have a slight headache and using your powers will only make it worse." Fubuki told her.

"Yes MOM I PROMISE I won't use my esp." She replied as sarcastically as she possibly could "Now can we please get this dinner over with?" She asked.

"Yes we can." Fubuki answered as she placed her hand on the door "And please don't call me mom." She added as she went inside.

Amused at how easily she was able to annoy her sister Tatsumaki followed her into the dining room. But the very moment both her and Fubuki entered the space everyone seemed to stop what they were doing, as this was the first time since this whole kerfuffle occurred that Tatsumaki, Fubuki, and Saitama were all in the same room. And while Saitama of course still ate his food like nothing was happening, same went for King and Genos, everyone else watched as the sisters got their food and glasses for their tea before going over to the two empty seats next to Mutsuko.

"Hey Tatsumaki!" Kaemon greeted as they sat down "Where've you been?" They asked.

"Wasn't feeling too good this morning so I decided to stay in my room." She answered.

"Are you sick?" Saitama asked though with a mouthful food causing the question to be a bit muffled.

"No I'm not sick I just had a headache is all." She answered as she began cutting her food "Happens sometimes with psychics."

"Oh." He said as he swallowed before he looked to Fubuki "What about you Fubuki, what'd you do all day?" He asked.

"I stayed with Tatsumaki to make sure she was okay." She answered "What about you?" She asked.

"We explored the resort today, did a lot actually." Saitama answered as he pointed to King with his fork "You should've seen King though, he got all of the high scores on the arcade machines they have."

"It's nothing to brag about." King said as he rubbed the back of his head "It's not like I hold the world records or anything." He admitted.

"Actually you weren't too far off." Genos chimed in "I looked up the highest scores ever recorded, and for each game you averaged just a few hundred points off." He revealed.

"Wait really?" King asked wide eyed earning a nod in response.

"You have to beat them then!" Kaemon exclaimed now suddenly excited "You could be the world's greatest video game player!"

"Pfft, like that's anything to brag about." Tatsumaki said as she held up a bite of her food on her fork "What's so great about being good at video games?" She asked as she put the fork in her mouth.

However, before their conversation could continue any further Mutsuko tapped the table with one of her claws as to get their attention.

"I don't mean to interrupt." She began as she brought her hands together "But can we talk about the elephant in the room?" She asked.

Upon hearing this Saitama and the others gave a quick casual glance at the rest of the table and saw that while everyone else wasn't staring at them they were now clearly interested in this conversation. Yet instead of replying to Mutsuko Saitama rose from his seat and held up his right hand which then caused everyone to look directly at him.

"Alright." He spoke just to make sure he had their attention "All of you have got something you want to say or ask, so let's just get this over with." He told them before pointing towards Fubuki "But before you say anything just know that me and Fubuki are friends, not a couple, just friends." He assured before lowering his hand "Anything you'd like to say now?" He asked.

Looking between themselves as to see who would be the first to say something, all eyes actually fell onto Zombieman as if he were the elected speaker of them all. And while no there hadn't been some kind of election as to who would be the first to break the ice on this, they all looked to Zombieman because if anyone was going to be able to survive whatever tragic thing that should happen it would of course be him.

"...God you guys suck." He said with a sigh as he got up from his seat "Alright so uh..." He began as he rubbed the back of his head "Something that we've all kinda been wondering is well...even if you guys aren't a couple or anything...have you ever like...kissed or...done something more like have s-"

Within the blink of an eye Zombieman was suddenly flung into the wall right above the two doors, but before anyone could say anything or even react to this all of the knives, forks, spoons, sporks, and even both Iaian and Atomic Samurai's swords all flew through the air before burying themselves into his body, effectively making him look like the bloodiest most gruesome holiday decoration you'd ever seen. Now most would've thought that perhaps Fubuki was behind this, but as they all slowly turned their heads to look at her they instead saw her also wide eyed and shocked, while Tatsumaki on the other hand had the single most hate filled expression any of them had ever seen be plastered on her face.

"We will never speak of this EVER again." She told them as her right eye began to twitch "Now if you'll excuse me, my headache is coming back." She told them before she got up from her seat and proceeded to leave.

Even after she was gone from the room and a very uncomfortable silence took hold of the air, no one was really certain as to what they should do or say in response to what had just happened. Not even when Zombieman and all of the objects keeping him pinned to the wall came crashing down to the floor, as the part of the wall he was pinned to broke off due to the damage sustained, which also crushed him as he landed.


	48. The Heroes Retreat: Chats And Chess

Humans were strange creatures at a first glance, they seemed to favor emotion over rationality and they often chose to go with a more complicated approach to a problem instead of an obvious simple one. These were but two of the many thoughts that filled Geryuganshoop's mind as he laid on the couch staring up at the ceiling. To be fair though he had been thinking a lot more recently due to the nature of his situation, the range of his contemplating went from humans and their societies, the unique and diverse cultures and customs they had, the variety of engaging items like art and orchestral ballads, and of course his home. And while most of his comparisons and confusions of humans did come from what he and his people did on his world, he still found it quite interesting how chaotic things seemed to get for no real logical reason at a moment's notice.

A perfect example would be in this very moment, as sooner than he expected he could sense Tatsumaki coming back to the room from the elevator and from just a light peek into her mind he could tell she wasn't too happy.

"GOD!" She shouted as she came in while slamming the door behind her.

"I take it dinner wasn't as pleasant as you had hoped?" He asked her as she went to the kitchen.

"OF COURSE IT WASN'T!" She replied as she opened the fridge "The FIRST THING those IDIOTS asked was whether or not Saitama and Fubuki ever had sex!" She told him as she slammed the door shut.

"And this was a problem for you?" He asked causing her to slam whatever she had taken from the fridge onto the counter.

"OF COURSE IT WAS! THOSE MORONS WANTED TO KNOW IF HE WAS BANGING MY LITTLE SISTER!" She shouted only to wince.

"You shouldn't be shouting it'll only worsen your headache." He advised as she walked over "And if I may, why does that bother you? you know they aren't more than friends." He asked.

"Because she's my sister! and I don't want anyone thinking that she's going around having sex!" She answered as she sat down in a chair next to the couch, some leftovers from their lunch earlier present in her hand.

"She is an adult you know." He pointed out causing her to glare at him.

"I KNOW she's an adult smartass." She told him as she took the foil off of the plate "And it's not like the idea of her being in a relationship is what bothers me, it's when people go around making things up about her that pisses me off." She explained as she began lifting the food from the plate to her mouth with her esp.

"Ah, so you just don't like rumors." He clarified earning a nod in approval.

"Yes exactly, Fubuki can date anyone she wants and even sleep with anyone she wants, so long as they're not weak..." She said muttering that last bit beneath her breath "But when people go around talking about MY sister and her sex life just because they're pathetic and have nothing better to do, THAT is when I get mad." She explained as she put another bite into her mouth.

A brief silence came between the two as Geryuganshoop seemed to contemplate something, which Tatsumaki noticed.

"What's wrong?" She asked wondering why he suddenly became quiet.

"I'm debating whether or not it's wise to ask you the question I currently have in mind." He answered causing her to raise a brow.

"What are you going to ask me to get naked or something?" She asked causing him to look at her wide eyed.

"What?! NO!" He replied causing her to shrug.

"Then you can ask me anything." She told him as she crossed her legs "You should know that by now, since we've done nothing but talk to each other since we've met."

"I suppose you're right." He admitted as he looked back at the ceiling "But still I think this question is one you'd want to avoid answering."

"Try me." She challenged.

"Alright, speaking purely in a hypothetical sense, what would your feelings be if Fubuki and Saitama actually did form a relationship beyond friendship?" He asked.

Another silence came between the two as the question had admittedly caught her off guard, and as a few seconds turned into a minute and ongoing, he worried he might've overstepped his boundaries.

"I...don't know." She spoke as she looked down towards her lap "I mean, I wouldn't be angry or upset about it, at least not to the point where I'd hate them or wouldn't want to talk to them, but at the same time I guess I would be kinda disappointed." She admitted.

"Because you would still want him to be with you?" He asked earning a simple nod in response "Tell me, what do you think of him? I know you, Fubuki, and everyone else respect him and even admire him, but is there more to your affection than that?" He questioned.

"Well yeah of course there is, if there wasn't I'd be no different than a fan girl." She told him with an eye roll.

"So what is it?" He inquired.

"For starters he's the only person I know who's completely genuine, as in you always know what he's thinking because he never lies to you or tries to put on some kind of act to fool you, what you see is what you get." She explained.

"And you find that attractive?" He asked.

"I find it comforting." She answered as she too now looked towards the ceiling "People always have some kind of agenda or motive to doing something, even heroes do good deeds for the most part because they can get paid for it and get famous too, but Saitama never does something because there's some grand scheme to it or because it'll get him something, he just does it to do it and that's that." She explained.

"Anything else?" He asked curious to know more.

"He's very simple, which a lot of people might think is a bad thing but it's actually not, because he just likes to do things that are generally enjoyable and he doesn't need to constantly do something that requires a lot of effort or thought in order to pass the time or have fun." She went on.

"That's a little ironic coming from someone who cares so much about strength." He told her.

"How?" She asked.

"Because you're praising his ability to be content and satisfied with things that most people would call mundane and basic, and while you're not some gaudy hero who flashes her wealth you do still care about things that are better than those kinds of things, such as the strong to the weak." He explained.

"Yeah but he's not like anyone else I've ever met." She admitted as she closed her eyes "For me I had to be strong, that was the way things were and if I wasn't I was dead simple as that, and while I did go out into the world with the hope things might be different the fact is they weren't, the strong are better than the weak and that's shown to be true constantly everyday especially with heroes." She explained

"But not Saitama?" He asked.

"No, and that's what really shocked me the first time we ever met, I sent him straight down into the earth's core and yet he shows back up two seconds later without a scratch on him, and so I'm just standing there stunned and horrified wondering what he's going to do to me, and he just pats me on the head and tells me I shouldn't fight with my sister, then he left." She answered.

"So he was nice to you." He said.

"No...he showed me mercy." She corrected as she reopened her eyes.

Upon hearing this Geryuganshoop fell silent once more as he now realized the truth behind her feelings, and he honestly was baffled he hadn't realized it before now. Tatsumaki's whole belief is that you have to be strong no matter what, for only the strong are worth anything while the weak are not. And while he had some opinions about that he knew that she of course had her reasons for believing in such a philosophy, and they were most likely due to her never having been shown mercy before Saitama came into the picture. Which is why when confronted with someone who was equal or perhaps greater in power than she was and instead of being hurt or killed she was shown mercy, she saw in that moment something in him that she had never seen before in anyone.

She saw kindness and decency, which was far rarer that it should be.

"I see." Was all he had to say before he looked to her "Well, I guess you're going to head to bed now huh?" He asked as he pointed a tendril at the now empty plate she held.

"Hm? oh yeah I guess." She replied before a thought came to her "Wait...didn't I tell you to get the chess board ready?" She asked.

"Well yes, but I figured since you had an unpleasant dinner you wouldn't want to-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence as within the blink of an eye Tatsumaki had put her dish in the sink, brought the board which had been prepared from the kitchen table to the coffee table, and set the pieces up all with her esp.

"Oh no you don't get off that easy, not after those lies you said earlier, so get your butt up and let's play." She told him as he got into an upright position.

"Can't I still lie down and play? I am a telepath too ya know." He asked with a bit of sarcasm causing her to roll her eyes.

"Stop whining and make your move." She replied as they began to play.

 **(A/N: this arc is going to be longer than anticipated as these surprise chapters just come to me in the moments when I'm writing, so I apologize in advance for that, so until next time, peace)**


	49. Filler Punch Twelve

Patrols, some would say that to be a true hero one must constantly be on active patrol and be ever vigilant. But once a hero leaves the status of C class they often tend to get lazy, as with their higher status they believe that they only need to do heroic deeds when something worthy of their ranking, (or something that will better their popularity with the public), arises as then it would be the best opportunity. But not all B, A, and S class heroes feel this way, in fact a decent few still do active patrols as they feel it is their duty as heroes to do so regardless of their rank or power, such as Bunji of The House of Evolution. Now Bunji wasn't the only one of the house who did patrols, as Atomu, Chikara, Kamakyuri, and Mutsuko were also heroes, but the thing was that even with him being a lion complete with claws and fangs, he still had that massive fluffy mane of his and was basically a giant cat which made him easier to approach than the others.

Not to say the others were standoffish of course, but since Atomu was a cyborg gorilla who looked fairly intimidating with his helmet on, Kamakyuri was a samurai looking praying mantis with huge blades for hands, Mutsuko was a giant mosquito who had a clearly visible abdomen filled with blood, and Chikara was a giant beetle who had the potential of going full out berserk, they were less approached by civilians for non hero things like making appearances at stores or some other kind of promotional work. But it did also help that he was often found playing with children, for as stated he was a very approachable person from his appearance alone but as people got to see his personality too they warmed up to him even more, making him quite popular for a B class hero. So popular in fact that he found himself being stopped every few feet or so by someone who wanted an autograph, a picture, or even a chance to touch his mane to see how soft it was. And while perhaps in another life he would be the kind of person to let such treatment go to his head and inflate his ego as "The Beast King", the truth was it was very humbling for him as he somewhat saw himself as a bit of an outsider due to him being what he was, and it made him happy that no one seemed scared of him.

Well, no one except for criminals and monsters that was.

* * *

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE GET ON THE GROUND!" A man dressed in a suit with a devil mask covering his face shouted as he entered a bank, a few rounds being fired to the ceiling from the shotgun he held in his hands.

Everyone besides the two other men that wore the same attire and mask as he did immediately ducked behind something or simply dropped to the floor, a variety of shrieks and cries coming from them all as they did.

"Ten minutes!" The one on the left told the other two as he went to the tellers while their leader and the other one made sure to keep the crowd controlled.

"Look, we could give you all some kind of story about how we're here for the bank's money and not yours, but the truth is we don't care whose money this is so long as it leaves in our pockets." The leader told them as he walked around waving his shotgun causally from side to side as he did.

"Yeah, so just keep your damn mouths shut and stay to the ground, anyone who tries anything will be blown the fuck away!" The other shouted as he used his gun, a semi automatic rifle, to fill a nearby section of the floor with bullet damage, effectively terrifying everyone even further.

As for the third member of their crew, he was being both swift and efficient in gathering the money from the tellers, making sure to keep them reminded that if he saw their hands move in any way he didn't like, he'd just blow their brains out with the pistol he wielded and move onto the next teller.

"That's it that's it." He said as the last teller finished giving him all the money they had "Alright! that's all of it!" He told the other two as he walked over to them, the cash secured in a large laundry bag that he held in his other hand.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen for being perfect hostages today." Their leader said as he gave them a slight bow "Maybe we'll see you again during another perfectly executed heist of ours~" He mused as he and his cohorts exited the bank.

Even though they had all seen the three men walk out through the doors, no one felt brave enough to get to their feet yet as they weren't sure if they were going to come back or not. But just as a few more moments passed by and it seemed like the ordeal was truly over, all three men suddenly came flying back in through the doors with such a force that they were sent into the wall on the other side of the room. Feeling even more shock fill their forms, everyone slowly looked to where the doors were once located only to find a sight that would replace their fear and worry with excitement and joy.

"IT'S THE BEAST KING!" A man exclaimed as Bunji stood there looking at the opening he created.

"Sorry about the doors, I'll make sure to pay for the damage." He said aloud as he looked down at the two destroyed doors.

However, before he could say or do anything more everyone got up to their feet and immediately surrounded him, cheering and praising him for his act of heroism.

"That was amazing Beast King!" "You're so strong! I bet that didn't even break a sweat right?" "Thank you so much for saving us!"

"It was nothing really." He said with a smile as he rubbed the back of his head "To be honest I was just walking by when I saw them leaving the bank, but since they were wearing masks and holding guns I figured they weren't customers." He explained.

"Still you stopped them from getting away with the money! you're a hero Beast King!" A woman told him earning a resounding "Yeah!" from everyone else.

"Well it is my job, but I'm still glad I could help." He said as he looked towards the three unconscious robbers that now laid on the floor "I'll take these guys in so you all can get on with your day, and like I said I'll take care of the damage too so don't worry about it." He assured as he walked over and easily lifted all three of them up with one arm.

And so, with a robbery successfully stopped and his name being cheered by the people, Bunji left with the robbers in tow to turn them over to the authorities.

* * *

"Wow that's awesome!" A young boy said as he sat atop of Bunji's chest "So did they have guns?" He asked as he looked towards him.

While the world around him was quickly accepting him as a hero and a member of it's society, the fact was that Bunji was most popular, appreciated, respected, and adored by children everywhere, for while to villains and foes he was a ferocious beast to children he was about as harmful as a newborn kitten.

"Yup, but they didn't get a chance to use them since I punched them through a wall." He replied which caused the young girl who sat near his head to look at him with widened eyes.

"You punched all three of them?!" She asked baffled causing him to chuckle.

"Of course he did! look at his hands, they're huge!" Another boy exclaimed as he held up one of Bunji's arms "Or are they paws?" He asked.

"They're both actually, so either works." Bunji told him as another little girl buried herself in his mane.

"You're fur is so soft!" She complimented as she hugged his neck "You're way softer than any of my plushies!" She added causing him to laugh.

"Thank you, I take good care of my fur." He replied.

"Kids! it's time to go!" One of the moms who sat on a nearby bench called to them, causing them all to release a groan.

"But mom can't we stay a little longer? Bunji was telling us about the robbery he stopped!" The little boy who sat on his chest protested.

"Sorry sweetie, it's getting late and your father will be home soon." She told him as she walked over.

Releasing another group groan the children begrudingly said their goodbyes to Bunji before returning to their mothers.

"Could you wait for me for just a moment hon? I need to talk to Bunji about something." She told her son earning a nod in response "Good, I'll only be just a moment." She assured as he went to the bench and sat down.

"Is something wrong?" He asked he got into an upright position.

"Oh no not at all, I was actually going to ask you something." She said.

"Hm?" He hummed raising an eyebrow as he did.

"I know this isn't something you would normally do, but my son's birthday is coming up and I was wondering if you would come by so he and the kids could play with you during the party, it would mean the world to him and the others." She said causing him to smile.

"Really? you'd want me at your son's party?" He asked as he got to his feet "Don't you think I'd be a little big though? or that the other parents might be a little concerned?" He asked causing her to smile as well.

"Oh not at all, in fact we all thought about asking you but were unsure if you'd even humor the idea." She admitted.

"Well, if it really wouldn't be any trouble, then sure I'd love to do it." He told her causing her to clap her hands.

"Oh thank you so much Bunji! I'll be sure to give you a proper invite when the date get's closer, see you tomorrow!" She said before walking away to rejoin her son.

Waving goodbye to the mother and her child, once they were gone from sight Bunji took his leave of the playground heading back to home.

"Being a hero's pretty great." He said to himself as he looked up to the sky.


	50. Filler Punch Thirteen

What truly defines a hero? Perhaps it is powers that separate them from normal human beings, maybe it's a deeper reason for why they do what they do, or maybe there is a dark past hidden behind their otherwise cheery demeanor and being a hero is the only way they can resolve their inner demons? Well all of these would be good answers to such a question, unfortunately Mutsuko didn't come to any of these conclusions and instead found herself believing what truly made someone a true hero was the exact things that didn't do so.

This included the likes of a catchy yet timeless and non annoying theme song, a costume that could make her stand out from any other hero or person despite the fact she was already a half mosquito half human hybrid, and of course she believed the epitome of a true hero was fans. Unfortunately for the optimistic and go getting female, due to her close relationship with Saitama, (which in her mind was far closer than it truly was), most of the time when she got stopped by people it was so they could ask her things about Saitama that they figured only she or one of the others would know. But because the only other heroes within Saitama's close personal circle of friends who did patrols were Mumen Rider, who hadn't been seen publicly in the bald hero's company yet, and Genos who more often than not just flew through the sky when he was on patrol, she was usually the only one accessible to the general populace. Now you might think that because she too could fly that she would take to the skies to avoid being asked endless questions about the world's strongest hero, but if she did that then she couldn't also try to get them to focus on her, at least that's what she believed anyways.

But today was going to be different, today she was going to go out on patrol and really show the people how amazing of a hero she could be, maybe then she would be able to get a song written about her like Saitama and maybe even get a start on the costume too. As for the fans they would just come along with either of the other goals so she wasn't too focused on them. However, the world was a big place and it was filled with a lot of people and cities where a plethora of crimes and misdeeds were just waiting to be unleashed at any given moment, she would need to venture to the places where crime was most likely to happen. And there was only one member of the house who could help her in doing so when it came to this.

* * *

"PLEASE Kamakyuri!" She begged with her hands clasped together as she looked towards her fellow hybrid.

"For the last time no Mutsuko you cannot come with me on patrol." He told her sternly as he sat in a chair trying to relax "Why do you even want to come with me? won't I act as a deterrent for your rise to popularity?" He asked.

"No you are the key to my success!" She told him as she moved in front of him to look him in the eyes "I checked with the others, and you unlike the rest of us spend your patrol time hunting down specific criminals, like a bounty hunter!" She pointed out.

"And?" He inquired not seeing what her point was.

"Don't you get it?! I could spend all day flying around and maybe stop a purse snatching or help some cat out of a tree, but if I help you take down a major bad guy then we'll both get credit, both get in the spotlight, and I'll get what I want!" She explained with an excited smile plastered on her face.

Closing his eyes Kamakyuri gave what she said some thought, which only took a few seconds because he honestly didn't care to humor the idea for any longer.

"Mutsuko, what exactly do you think my patrol is like?" He asked her.

"I dunno, you probably go to like abandoned neighbors or really disgusting slums and look for the criminals there." She answered with a shrug.

"And that is exactly why you can't come with me." He told her as he got to his feet "Because the truth is what I do all day isn't walking around looking for trouble, I focus down on the areas where the targets are known to frequent and cause trouble, I then stay still in a single spot for a few hours to see if anything happens before I move onto the next target's location, in short I basically do nothing but stand around all day waiting for something to happen, and if I'm being honest I think you'd kill yourself after just a few short minutes." He admitted as he turned to walk away.

Except he wouldn't get to walk away as Mutsuko was immediately in front of him with as serious of an expression as he'd ever seen on her staring him down.

"What exactly are you saying Kamakyuri?" She asked him her tone cold and admittedly very intimidating.

"I apologize." He said as he raised a claw slightly to serve as an olive branch "I didn't mean for it to come off as harsh as it did, what I meant was that you're a very active person who likes to take action instead of sitting around waiting for something to happen, but what I do on patrol doesn't involve that at all and so I think you'd be more bored than engaged is all." He explained.

"...I...guess you're right." She agreed with a sigh as she looked off to the side "But maybe this could be my chance to get more used to the serious side of being a hero, the side where there isn't constant fighting or explosions and I have to wait, don't you think?" She asked looking back to him.

Taking yet another moment to close his eyes and contemplate on what she said, this time he actually stayed there thinking for a good bit as what she suggested did make some sense, putting her in that kind of situation might help her get more accustomed to that aspect of hero work, and even if it didn't Kamakyuri honestly didn't find many villains or criminals on his patrols anyways, as they knew he was looking for them and so they tended to just not do anything.

"Hmm...alright, you can come." He told her as he opened his eyes just as her face formed a smile once more "But when we are out there you have to promise me you'll be completely quiet and not draw any attention to us." He told her.

"Of course! I know I'm a little energetic but I'm not a ditz." She replied as she headed for the door "So come on let's go!" She exclaimed as she walked out.

Following right behind her Kamakyuri while not admitting it to her was actually somewhat happy to have some company for a change, maybe they could even pass the time with some conversation?

* * *

City E, admittedly it was a fairly forgettable city among all the others, but not because it was bland or boring but simply because nothing really seemed to happen there. Sure there were some C and B class heroes who worked there, but surprisingly enough in a world filled to the brim with any kind of horror and disaster you can imagine City E never seemed to be touched by anything. But that in itself led to it being the perfect place for crime, but not the kind of crime that would make the news or even be seen by the populace, the kind of crime that was suspected to be conducted within this city was none other than organized crime, hence why there were only C and B class heroes working there as they wanted to boost their careers by taking down a whole organization. Unfortunately there were only rumors and speculation to serve as any kind of evidence of there ACTUALLY being organized crime or even crime families operating out of this city, which is why there were no A or S class heroes looking into it as they didn't want to spend their work or free time chasing tall tales.

But for a B class hero such as Kamakyuri and his accompanying A class cohort Mutsuko, this was the perfect place to start their patrol as if they should catch eye of something it could be greatly beneficial for the both of them.

"So..." Mutsuko spoke as she and Kamakyuri stood atop of a mall located near the center of the city "We're just supposed to sit up here until something happens right?" She asked.

"Mhm." Kamakyuri simply replied as he looked down at the street below.

"But what exactly are we looking for? obviously it's going to be subtle but I still need to know what I should be keeping a look out for." She reasoned.

"Keep an eye out for anyone acting like us, looking around not for something to eat or to buy but making sure that no one is watching them too closely." He explained.

"Do you have any idea as to what they might look like or?..." She asked looking to him.

"I have my suspicions but nothing concrete, so just make note of anything that seems too out of the ordinary to be coincidence." He answered.

"Okay, sounds good." She replied as he turned her focus to the streets below.

Silence then took hold of the air as both heroes looked around for anything out of the ordinary, and while truthfully he expected her to begin chatting and talking after only a minute or so, she actually surprised him by keeping silent as he had told her to do. In fact they stayed that way for the next thirty minutes, neither of them saying a word to each other but just keeping a watchful eye on the civilians below.

"You know." He spoke as to gain her attention "We can talk to each other if you'd like, it's not like if we have a simple a conversation that we'd draw attention to ourselves." He told her.

"Yeah I know, but it's not like we have anything to talk about, we rarely talk to each other as it is." She replied as she looked back to the street.

"That's not true, we...talk" He tried to say as convincingly as possible, only to fail miserably.

"It's no big deal that we don't talk, we're just too different is all." She assured him with a shrug.

"But we used to talk, maybe not all the time, but we still talked." He said.

"Yeah, back when you were green and had your brain on display." She pointed out as she looked back to him "Back then you were WAY more relaxed and easy going than you are now, now you're so serious and quiet which makes it hard to try and start a friendly conversation with you." She explained.

"Oh." He simply sounded before looking back to the street below.

For a few moments after silence returned to the air as the conversation seemed to be over, but just as it seemed like things would continue as they had been Kamakyuri broke it once again.

"What do you mean by so serious, I'm not that serious am I?" He asked.

"Dude, you've literally become the exact kind of brooding character that always appears in manga." She answered while giving him a "duh" like expression.

"Well...I just thought I should take myself more seriously, I mean I did nearly die so I figured that wouldn't happen again if I was more serious." He explained.

"Yeah well technically we ALL died from the Sea King remember? and yet we didn't all turn into the reclusive mute you did." She argued.

"I'm reclusive too?" He asked causing her to sigh.

"Look Kamakyuri it's like this." She said as she stood up right and placed her hands in front of her left side "Before hand you were like me in a LOT of ways, you liked to just hang out, do every kind of combat test the doctor had, and you liked to tell jokes, really bad pun jokes sure but they were funny because they were so bad." She explained as she moved her hands to her right side "Now you mostly keep to yourself while the rest of us are off doing stuff together, and even when you do come with you just close your eyes, cross your arms, and barely participate at all, it's like you're trying to exclude yourself from the rest of us." She told him before she turned away and leaned on the roof's edge.

Taken aback by what she had said, while this revelation in itself was admittedly shocking he couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be angry at hashing all of this out, and even though he knew he should probably let the conversation truly end this time, he couldn't keep himself from pressing further.

"You...seem to be angry." He noted as he stepped a little closer.

"Yeah I'm angry!" She exclaimed as she turned back to face him "Because we used to be best friends Kamakyuri! Suguru, Genjiro, and Fujio were already in their own little group before, and as for Atomu, Bunji, and Chikara, they were like the best of the doctor's experiments so far, which just left you and me in the middle together!" She went on poking his chest with one of her claws "And even though we BOTH have transformed and are way more powerful than we were before, I'M still the same while you went and changed for some reason! so MAYBE just MAYBE I miss having my best friend okay?!" She shouted before she turned her back to him and walked away by a few feet.

This time silence was able to fully return, though unlike before where it was a peaceful calm it was now an uneasy and tense aura that made Kamakyuri feel terrible. But as he raised his hand to try and talk to her some more he stopped himself, for as he looked to her he came to think that anything else he could say to her would only worsen the situation more, so instead he just went back to looking at the street below. However, as a few minutes passed by with her continuing to keep her distance and him barely keeping attention to who was walking among the crowd, as he halfheartedly looked at the faces of those who walked below he saw something that caused his eyes to widen.

"Mutsuko." He spoke causing her to sigh.

"What?" She asked as she looked over her shoulder.

"That man down there, I recognize him." He said causing her to look at him fully with a surprised expression.

"Wait really?" She asked as she walked over next to him to see who he was referring to.

"Him." He directed as he pointed to a man wearing a white tuxedo yet for some strange reason also wore a baseball cap "I've seen him twice before on this exact same day for the past two weeks, before hand I just reasoned it was coincidence as we're in the middle of the city, but now I'm certain it's not." He explained.

"His fashion sense is really weird, but besides that what makes you so sure? I mean he could just be going to a job or something." She argued.

"No, he goes to the nearby park, I know because that's where I usually move to after a few hours." He replied.

"Wait, he stays in the park for a few hours?" She asked.

"A lot of people do, at least from what I've seen, but he always seems to disappear quite frequently, usually when going to the bathroom." He answered.

"Well unless he's got some kind of trouble using the bathroom, then there's definitely something going on." She reasoned earning a nod from him.

"Right, so let's follow him, but keep high to the sky so we don't draw any attention." He told her as he leapt to another rooftop nearby.

"Got it." She said as she took to the sky and followed.

* * *

City E actually had quite a few parks, it was one of the perks of having such a quiet and uneventful city. But the best park was definitely the one located directly in the middle of the city, as it was not only the largest but also had the most things for people to partake in and do. From food vendors and playgrounds to small shops and activities like renting a paddle boat, an entire day could be had here whether it was planned or not. And it was due to this that the park was more often than not the most crowded place in the city, not so much to where you'd be constantly bumping into someone or maybe feel claustrophobic, but no matter where you'd go you could hear children playing and laughing as well as smell the aromas of many picnics and barbecues being held in the beautiful weather.

Unfortunately though for our duo of bug heroes they couldn't enjoy the pleasures of park, as they were busying staying hidden in the trees following their capped dapper suspect.

"He's heading to the bathroom." Kamakyuri whispered as he and Mutsuko stood on separate branches of the same tree.

"Does he normally go the moment he get's here?" She asked.

"No, he usually get's something to eat then goes after, then he doesn't come out for thirty to forty five minutes." He answered.

"Oh yeah, unless he's got bowel trouble there is DEFINITELY something weird about that." She replied.

"We need to do our best not to make a scene or to get noticed, so what we'll do is wait for five minutes after he goes in, if he doesn't come out immediately I'll go in and look for him, if I find anything other than that I'll signal you to come in." He explained.

"Got it." She said just as a thought came to her "Wait...have you ever been in a bathroom before?" She asked causing him give her a look of confusion.

"What?" He asked genuinely caught off guard by the question.

"I mean, the doctor made us so we don't have to go to the bathroom, so I've never been inside of one, have you?" She asked.

"Well...no." He answered "But what could there be to it? just a sink and a toilet right?" He asked.

"I think public bathrooms have more than one of each." She answered "And I think the one for guys has a special toilet inside it."

"Really? why would they need a special toilet?" He asked earning a shrug in response.

Over the course of their conversation the man had made it to the bathroom and gone inside, and once they both realized they had let their minds wander they immediately moved to a tree that was right next to the bathroom and then waited. Even though neither of them had a watch or even a phone to check the time, one of the many "upgrades" doctor Genus had given them over human beings was an impeccable sense of time, even if they were kept in a dark room they'd still have a fairly good guess as to what time of day it was since they entered the room and how long they had been in it. So when five minutes exactly passed by and the man still hadn't come out, Kamakyuri and Mutsuko simply exchanged a nod between themselves before he hopped down and went into the men's restroom. Making sure he walked slowly and made as little noise as he possibly could, Kamakyuri looked around the space to make note of everything that was there.

 _"Okay, so there are no windows, no other exits, and no access to the roof of the building, which means if he isn't here then something is definitely going on."_ He thought as he looked around, only to come to a stop as he saw a line of very strange toilets lining the wall adjacent to the stalls _"Those must be the special toilets Mutsuko was talking about, I wonder what men need them for?"_ He wondered before he resumed his mission.

Now of course Kamakyuri wasn't about to kick open the stall doors and potentially invade a person's privacy, so once he was at the middle stall he raised one of his claws up and gave it a few knocks.

"Hello? is there anyone in there?" He asked aloud.

Waiting for a few seconds for a reply to come from any of the stalls, once he was met with absolute silence then Kamakyuri began to open all of the stall doors to be truly certain there was no one there. And sure enough there wasn't anyone in any of the stalls, and as Kamakyuri then went about checking each of the toilets even the strange ones to make sure they were actual toilets, he found that there were no secret entrances, no hidden passage ways, and no cleverly disguised levers, so where their suspect had disappeared to was truly a mystery.

"I don't understand." He said as he crossed his arms "How can someone just disappear into thin air like that? it doesn't make any sense."

Giving the room one final check over to be completely certain he hadn't missed anything, Kamakyuri with a sigh of defeat began to take his leave. But just as he was but a foot or so away from the door a drop of water fell down from the ceiling and hit his shoulder, causing him to look up.

* * *

"What is taking him so long?" Mutsuko asked as she leaned against the tree.

So far Kamakyuri had been inside the bathroom for three minutes, and while Mutsuko wasn't insanely impatient if he didn't come out in the next two she was just going to head inside and get him herself. But luckily for her that would not be needed, as without warning Kamakyuri suddenly flew out of the restroom's entrance crashing into another tree as he did, his whole body completely soaked. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to call out his name to make sure he was okay, as not even a second after a powerful blast of water came shooting out from the hole he made towards her, and while she was able to easily dodge it thanks to her speed the sheer force of the torrent was enough to completely shatter the top half of the tree.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't see you two freaks following me?!" The man questioned as he stepped out, his lower half turned into a wave like formation of water while his arms were made completely of water "I started noticing the blue one last week, but now we've got this one too?" He asked as he looked towards Mutsuko.

"Who the hell are you calling a freak?!" She questioned as she pointed to him "You're the one who's made up of toilet water! so don't you dare call me the freak!"

"THIS ISN'T TOILET WATER!" The man immediately replied defensively as he placed a hand to his chest "This is just my power, I can change my genetics to be made of water." He explained.

But before he could go on or Mutsuko could say something else, Kamakyuri was suddenly behind him with his blades ready to strike.

"Reaping slash!" He exclaimed as he drove both of them through the other's form.

Unfortunately for Kamakyuri, even though he had managed to catch the man by surprise his blades still went through his body completely without doing any kind of damage, as though his torso and head still appeared human they were in fact made of water as well. Feeling his eyes widen in surprise, before he could move away to plan for another attack a suddenly blast of water came from the man's back sending him flying through the restroom and out it's other side.

"HA! PATHETIC!" He taunted as he turned around "You don't have a chance of hurting me! everything just goes right through me!" He said as he gestured to his body.

"HEY TOILET WATER!" Mutsuko shouted causing him to turn back around.

"I TOLD YOU I AM NOT MADE OF TOILET-" He began to angrily reply only to be cutoff as he was hit with a massive ball of dirt.

Coughing as some had gotten into his mouth the man wiped the dirt that was covering his eyes from his face, only to find Mutsuko standing in front of him with a smug look on her face.

"YOU BITCH! THIS WAS A HUNDRED DOLLAR SUIT!" He told her as he reared his fist back "I'LL KILL YOU!" He shouted as he threw his fist forward.

Unfortunately for the man his fist due to the dirt was now a massive wad of mud, and so besides losing speed because of this it also made it far easier to grab onto him, which is exactly what she did as she easily sidestepped his attack and grabbed his arm.

"Let's go for a ride shall we~" She mused as she suddenly took off into the sky with him in tow.

Any sort of bravado that the man had before quickly vanished, as within but a few seconds they were already fifty feet in the air causing him to panic.

"HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT!" He shouted as he looked up to her "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" He asked.

"Oh I thought we'd go for a quick fly around, seeing as how it's a beautiful day and all." She answered as she looked at her claws "But you know, your muddy arm is messing up my hands, so I think I'll just drop ya." She said as she let go.

"WAIT WAIT WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!" He shouted as he began to plummet to the earth.

Fearing for his life as he didn't know what would happen to him if he impacted the ground at this height, the man thought that as he grew closer and closer she might fly down and keep him from landing, only to find her just sitting in the air with her legs crossed watching him fall with a sadistic grin on her face. But just as he neared the ground and this looked to be his end, he was met with a powerful knee to his stomach from Kamakyuri, who had gotten back to his feet after she had taken him into the sky. And thanks to both his fall as well as Kamakyuri's own strength, Kamakyuri not only brought the man's descent to a complete stop but actually made him lift off of his knee a small bit.

"That's for sending me into a tree." He said coldly before he moved his blades behind his back "And this is for sending me through a bathroom twice!" He exclaimed as he sent his arms forward.

Now Kamakyuri didn't intend to kill the man whatsoever, but he didn't mind bruising him up a bit either, which is exactly why when he swung his blades forward he made sure to miss the man completely, but due to the power of their swing their sheer force then sent the man flying towards the very same tree that he had sent Kamakyrui into, effectively destroying it this time around as he made contact. Now unconscious as the pain overwhelmed him the fight had come to it's end, allowing Mutsuko to come back to the ground with a joyous expression present on her face.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" She cheered as she pumped a fist into the air "We just TOTALLY combo'd that guy! we should do that more often!" She suggested as she looked towards Kamakyuri.

However, instead of seeing him reveling in their success she found he was hunched over and holding his abdomen, all the while wincing in pain.

"Kamakyuri?" She asked as she hurried over "What's wrong?"

"He broke my exoskeleton..." He grunted through gritted teeth "The first blow cracked it, but then the second broke through and hit some of my organs." He explained.

"We have to get you back to the house then!" She said as she wrapped her arm around him "Don't worry, I'll fly you there."

"N-No I'm fine! we need to-" He began to protest only to wince as more pain flooded through him.

"No buts we are going home right now!" She told him as she took off into the sky and then flew in the direction towards the house.

"B-But what about him?" He asked as he looked back at the still unconscious man.

"Some other heroes will get the credit for it, no big deal." She told him.

"But didn't you want to...get the credit?" He asked.

"There's plenty of bad guys for me to take credit for Kamakyuri, you're way more important than they are." She told him.

"M-Mutsuko..." He weakly said as the pain soon caused him to black out.

* * *

"He'll be fine in an hour or so." One of the doctor's clones said as the doctor himself was busying with an experiment "The damage was mostly isolated to his stomach, and besides some rupturing of the tissue which was easily repaired, all he needs now is to just recover." He explained as he turned to Mutsuko.

"Thank you so much thirty nine!" She exclaimed happily only to look at him confused "Or are you twenty two? I can't tell when you guys aren't wearing your shirts with the numbers." She said causing him to sigh.

"Yes well, due to an accident during an experiment we were conducting we had to put all of our shirts into the laundry, so we won't have them back until later tonight." He grimaced before taking his leave "He should be awake in a few moments." He told her as he left.

Nodding in response Mutsuko turned back to the still slumbering Kamakyuri, a small smile present on her face.

"That really was cool ya know, how you combo'd attacks like that." She said as she placed a claw to her chin in thought "Maybe I should come up with some combos like that, that way I look a lot cooler when I fight." She suggested.

"You should try doing something in the air." He spoke causing her to lightly jump in surprise "It'd look really cool." He told her.

"Hey! have you been awake this whole time?" She asked.

"No, I woke up a few minutes ago, I just stayed quiet because I wanted to hear what you were going to say." He answered with a smile causing her to roll her eyes.

"Oh I see, you wanted me to praise you for how awesome you were or go on about how glad I am that you weren't seriously hurt right?" She asked.

"I can hope can't I?" He asked causing her to flick him on the head,

"No you can't." She replied jokingly as she walked to the door "I'll let you rest up now though, we can talk later if you want." She offered,

"Mutsuko." He said as to keep her from leaving "Um...you know if you want you can come out with me on patrol again, it was nice having the help and all." He offered causing her to look at him with a smirk.

"Aw, look at you, after one patrol you already want me all to yourself." She joked causing him to chuckle.

"Yeah that's SURELY it." He replied with an eye roll of his own.

"Well, to be honest I did enjoy having someone to talk to, and it was great to combo attacks together like we used to, so yeah sure I'll come with you." She said causing him to smile.

"Great, and Mutsuko?" He asked.

"Hm?" She sounded.

"You gotta admit, after that fight you were ready to turn on the water works." He said.

Upon hearing that Mutsuko's eyes shot wide open, all the while he had this stupidly proud grin on his face

"Oh...my...god..." She said before she burst out laughing "That has GOT to be the single WORST pun in the history of puns!" She exclaimed as she placed a hand to her forehead, causing him to frown.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad." He argued causing her to laugh more.

"Oh no trust me it DEFINITELY was." She assured as she turned back around "Now we HAVE to talk later, because I've got to help you be funny again, I refuse to go out on patrol with someone who's that bad at telling jokes." She said as she left the room.

Feeling a smile come to his face, Kamakyuri was honestly glad to hear that as it meant they would be spending more time together, which after today is exactly what he wanted.


	51. The Heroes Retreat: Day Three

The mood of the resort seemed to change in the course of one night, which actually wasn't too surprising seeing as how the gossip of Saitama and Fubuki had been put to an end during dinner. Oddly enough however it wasn't because of Tatsumaki's display of murder with Zombieman, who made a swift recovery thanks to both his powers and doctor Genus, but it was actually due to Fubuki explaining the whole thing as The House of Evolution went about prying Zombieman off of the slab he had been crushed by. And after she had cleared things up and Zombieman was taken out of the room, dinner proceeded without any further problems and was filled with pleasant conversation instead of gossip. All in all the second day of the retreat had been a fairly enjoyable experience, and with the night following with no issues it seemed like the third day promised nothing but good times.

* * *

"...Ngh...quit bothering me..." Tatsumaki grumbled in her sleep as she was dreaming of a horde of crazed fans like Saitama's following her around "...Ngh...I said to quit bothering me!" She exclaimed as she slammed her fist down.

However, instead of feeling the sheets of her mattress she felt the smooth material of the couch, which in turn caused her to slowly wake up. Blinking a few times while slowly sitting up, she found that she was also covered in a blanket and that a pillow had been put beneath her head. Unsure as to whether it had been her sister or Geryuganshoop who had done this, she would soon have her answer once she looked at the coffee table and found a note lying on top of it. Reaching over and picking it up her eyes would shoot open as she read what was on the page.

 _"Good morning Tatsumaki, by the time you read this I will be gone, I decided I needed some fresh air and will be flying around for a few hours, I'll probably be back around noon or maybe just a bit later, I've made you some breakfast before I left but because I don't know what your favorite breakfast is I just made some eggs and toast, hope you enjoy it anyway, Geryuganshoop."_

Lowering the note back onto the table, Tatsumaki with a slight huff rose from the couch and went to the kitchen to eat her breakfast.

"Who does he think he is not telling me where he's going?" She asked as she looked around and found her food waiting in the microwave "I mean sure he left a note, but he could've just as easily told me himself." She said as she took it out then went to the table and sat down, taking a bite from her food once she was seated "...And who told him he could make me breakfast?" She asked before continuing to eat as the food was very good.

* * *

Much like the day before everyone except Tatsumaki went to the dining hall for their breakfast, and now that the "buzz" of Fubuki and Saitama was over with they could actually have conversations with him without the worry of upsetting him. And it was because of this that everyone decided the best way to spend the third day of their retreat was to go outside and enjoy the pool as none of them except for Kaemon had done so yet. Even The House of Evolution members didn't really get to enjoy their trip to the pool on the first day, as but a minute or so after they got there that is when Tatsumaki sent Saitama flying out of the building which immediately got everyone's attention.

So after they were all finished and their dining ware had been put away, everyone went back to their rooms to change into their swimsuits and get any other poolside items they may have brought. Which in all honesty wasn't really much as they didn't think to bring any kind of pool related items with them on the trip, but that was of course no issue thanks to Metal Knight's foresight, as right next to the pool there was a small building which contained everything from pool noodles and inflatable seats for the water, to actual chairs should they need more and even tables and decorations in case they wanted to have some kind of party or something. So with no worry of lacking pool items and fun, all that was left for everyone to do was to change into their swimwear and head down to the pool.

Except for Kaemon, they just planned to sit at the bottom of the pool and enjoy the clean refreshing water as they were doing on the first day, hence why after breakfast they just went to the pool straight away as to secure the perfect spot. Though there really wasn't a need for that seeing as how no one else would be sitting at the bottom of the pool.

* * *

"The weather's looking perfect for today." King noted as he looked out a nearby window.

"The weather report says there shouldn't be any clouds in the area at any point during the day either, so we don't have to worry about rain coming in later." Genos stated.

"Can you even get into the pool Genos? I mean with you being mostly robot and all." Saitama asked.

With their rooms being right next to each other the trio decided once they were all changed they'd go to the pool together. Now for King and Genos they simply wore basic swimming trunks with King's black with two yellow strips on the sides, and Genos's being plain gray. But Saitama on the other hand actually wasn't wearing any swimming trunks, instead he was wearing a red speedo which on anyone else might've been weird but for him it actually made a weird amount of sense.

"Yes, I am completely waterproof." Genos answered as they reached the elevator.

"He did fight in the rain after all, when we took on Sea King." King noted as he pressed the elevator's down button.

"Oh yeah it was raining wasn't it?" Saitama asked as he in truth nearly forgotten about that whole day.

It would only be a few seconds of waiting before the elevator arrived, and inside they found Atomic Samurai, Metal Bat, and even Flashy Flash standing inside, all wearing trunks that were the exact same color scheme as their usual attire.

"Oh hey guys." Saitama greeted as he, King, and Genos stepped into the elevator.

"Hey Saitama, nice speedo." Metal Bat complimented as the doors closed.

"Um...thanks?" Saitama replied unsure as to how he felt receiving that kind of compliment from another guy.

"I-I mean that just some guys can't pull it of ya know? That's all." Metal Bat hastily explained only just then realizing the awkward nature of his comment.

"Anyways, what're you guys going to do when we get to the pool?" King asked deciding to quickly change the topic of discussion.

"I'm just going to relax and laze in the sun." Flashy Flash answered.

"Me and Metal Bat are planning to play chicken, though we're still looking for teammates." Atomic Samurai answered.

"Why isn't your student your teammate?" Genos asked.

"Because the guy's only got one arm." Metal Bat answered "Not saying he's weak or anything, hell he can still manage to swing a sword, but for chicken you kinda have to have two arms for it to be fair and all." He explained.

"He was disappointed though when I told him no, he even tried to show me he would be fine." Atomic Samurai admitted.

"And how did that go?" King asked.

"Well...let's just say we got a new coffee table in the room." Atomic Samurai answered vaguely, though it was enough to where all of them could imagine the scenario.

Soon the elevator reached the ground floor, and once the doors opened the group made their way through the lobby and to the pool. And while they were of course expecting to not be the first ones there, as it turned out nearly everyone had already arrived before they did, with the only ones still not present being Fubuki, Tatsumaki, and of course Pig God. Though to be honest no one was actually expecting Pig God to show up, nor would they want him to as the thought of his body completely exposed except for a pair of swim trunks was enough to make any of them feel queasy. Anyways, out of the pool you had Chikara, Tanktop Master and Superalloy Blackluster who not only wore matching red Speedos like Saitama's, (which was purely coincidence and not something creepy), but were also having a flex off to see who had the more toned out body.

Then there was Puri Puri Prisoner who despite everyone's assumptions actually wore white swim trunks with hearts on them instead of a speedo, and he was helping Bang who wore basic black swim trunks set up for a cookout later, though they both were probably going to need help figuring out how the super high tech grill worked. Finally you had Watchdog Man who of course didn't wear any trunks, ZombieMan who wore green trunks, Atomu, and Kamakyuri who were simply laying back in chairs doing their own thing, As for those who were in the pool you had Mutsuko, Fujio, Genjiro, and Suguru who were all busy playing some kind of pool game, or at least trying to figure one out, Kid Emperor wearing light blue trunks who was sitting in an inner tube relaxing, and surprisingly enough Drive Knight who was nearly submerged except for his eye and the top of his head.

"Huh, how did they get here so fast?" Saitama asked as he looked around.

"Maybe they had their stuff in the changing rooms already?" King suggested as Flashy Flash walked to an empty chair away from the others.

"I'm going to assist Bang and Puri Puri Prisoner, they look like they're confused on how the grill works." Genos said as he walked away.

"Hey you think Drive Knight would be up for chicken?" Metal Bat asked as he lightly nudged Atomic Samurai.

"Maybe, but how heavy is he? cause I don't want to have a two ton robot sitting on my shoulders." He replied.

"Let's go ask him." Metal Bat said as they got into the pool.

"So what're you gonna do?" King asked as he looked to Saitama.

"I'll probably just wait for Tatsumaki and Fubuki to get here and see what they want to do." He answered "What about you?" He asked.

"I'm probably gonna relax for a while, we've got all day to do stuff so might as well just enjoy the nice weather, wanna join me?" King asked.

"Yeah sure." Saitama replied as they both walked over to two empty chairs and sat down.

* * *

Even though the rumors and speculation on Fubuki and Saitama's relationship had been put to rest, Fubuki herself was still flustered but not for a reason that most might think. Now she wasn't a paranoid person to any measure, but seeing as how she was the only other person besides Tatsumaki who knew about Geryuganshoop, she couldn't keep some worried thoughts from popping into her head. For while she had only just met the alien and became his friend, she knew that if anyone found out about him and his association with the attack, they'd more than likely would just kill him instead of hearing him out.

 _"It's not like he had a choice in the matter, he had to join Boros's crew."_ She thought as she stood outside of Tatsumaki's room waiting for her to come out _"But Saitama would be okay with it right? I mean he's spared villains and monsters, so sparing Geryuganshoop wouldn't be a big deal would it?"_ She wondered.

But before she could think on this any further the sound of the door opening brought her from her thoughts, causing her to look inside and see none other than her sister standing on the other side. Wearing a two piece black bikini the same as she did, it seemed as though the sisters were not only similar in power but also their fashion sense.

"Ready to go?" Tatsumaki asked as she stepped out while closing the door behind her.

"Just waiting for you." Fubuki replied as they began walking towards the elevator "So where's Geryuganshoop? I didn't see him on the couch." She asked.

"Jerk left a note saying he was going to spend the day flying around." Tatsumaki answered crossing her arms as she did.

"I can understand, it must get pretty boring just sitting there all day cooped up in the room." Fubuki noted.

"Yeah well he still could've told me, instead he just left a note and made me breakfast." Tatsumaki recalled as they reached the elevator.

"And that's a bad thing?..." Her sister asked with a raised brow as she pressed the down button.

"No but like I said he could've told me what he was planning to do, but no he chose to cover me with a blanket, make me breakfast, and then write a note before taking off." Tatsumaki recounted as the elevator soon arrived at their floor.

"Gee, what a horrible person he must be." Fubuki replied with an eye roll as she stepped inside, causing her sibling to shoot her a glare.

"Hey! don't get smart with me!" She exclaimed as she entered the elevator and pressed the lobby button on the panel.

"I just don't understand why you're angry at him, it doesn't make any sense." Fubuki said.

"Because what if something happens to him while he's out there?" Tatsumaki asked "I mean I'm not worried about him or anything, but still if something happens it's going to come back to me and I don't need that kind of hassle." She explained as she looked off to the side.

Unable to keep herself from smiling as it was nice to see her sister care about someone besides herself, Saitama, and Kaemon, Fubuki let the rest of the ride down to the lobby go on in silence. Soon though they reached their destination, and after they stepped out they walked out of the lobby and to the pool where a a few interesting sights immediately caught their attention.

First there was Genos, Puri Puri Prisoner, and Bang all of whom were looking at some kind of instructions for what seemed to be a grill, though they couldn't be sure as to what it was for as the instructions even from this distance could easily be seen as being extremely convoluted. Then there was Atomic Samurai and Metal Bat who seemed to be having some kind of argument over who would get Drive Knight for something, all the while Drive Knight whose head was already half submerged was slowly sinking more and more into the water as to try and escape the duo. Finally there was Superalloy Blackluster, Tanktop Master, and Chikara who were doing rapid push ups next to each other trying to see who could do the most.

"Good to see we didn't miss anything worthwhile." Tatsumaki said as she looked around.

"Hey guys!" Saitama called from their right causing them to look in his direction.

However, the moment both sisters found the bald head hero their eyes shot wide open and Fubuki nearly dropped the bag she had brought with her which had her phone as well as some towels and lotion. For you see, while Mutsuko had of course seen Saitama naked way back when they had first met, neither of the sisters had ever seen him in anything other than his hero attire or just normal clothes, but now they were seeing him in all his glory except for the red speedo he wore, which in truth while not super snug still didn't leave much to the imagination.

"We saved you guys some chairs." He said as he pointed to the two empty ones next to his left.

"We didn't really save them Saitama, they're the last ones to show up." King corrected.

"Oh right." He replied.

Unfortunately for the duo their words fell onto deaf ears as both sisters were too busy staring at Saitama incredibly chiseled body.

"Is something wrong guys?" He asked and thankfully this time they heard him.

"Nope! nothing's wrong at all! nothing at all!" Fubuki hastily replied before quickly regaining her composure "We're just...surprised is all." She admitted.

"By what?" He asked.

"Well...we figured that you might be wearing swim trunks is all." She said as she looked off to the side not wanting to keep staring.

"Oh, well these are a lot easier to swim in, plus they're easier to wash too." He explained "Aren't you guys gonna sit down?" He asked.

Upon being asked that question both sisters slowly looked towards each other as both of them wanted the seat that was next to his.

 _ **"Fubuki, I am the older sister so I should get the seat."**_ Tatsumaki told her via telepathy.

 _ **"If we're going to use that kind of logic then shouldn't the TALLEST sister get the seat?"**_ She countered causing Tatsumaki to cast her a glare.

 _ **"FINE, then how do you suggest we decide this?"**_ She asked.

 _ **"How about this, You can have the seat until he get's up, then when he does and sits back down I get the seat, deal?"**_ Fubuki suggested.

 _ **"Deal."**_ Tatsumaki replied before they both walked over and sat down.

"Did you guys just talk with your esp?" King asked.

"No, why would you ask that?" Tatsumaki inquired.

"Because you both just stood there for like thirty seconds looking at each other and didn't say a word." He replied.

"...Don't make me throw you into the pool." Tatsumaki threatened before looking towards Saitama "So Baldy, what're you gonna do today?" She asked.

"I honestly don't know." He answered with a shrug "I'll probably swim later when everyone else is done for a while, but other than that I didn't have any ideas." He admitted.

"And you King?" Fubuki asked.

"More or less the same, though when we get the pool I'm gonna swim some laps for training." He answered.

"You do know we're on vacation right?" Tatsumaki asked.

"Yeah but I'm the only one here without any crazy powers, so if I want to stay S class I do have to workout even during my vacation." King answered.

"Hm, fair enough." She said before looking over to Fubuki "Do you have any books we could read while we sit here?" She asked.

"Yes I do." Fubuki replied as she reached into her bag and pulled two out "I have one more in here Saitama if you'd like one." She offered.

"No thanks, I think I'll just lay here and relax." He said causing Tatsumaki to roll her eyes.

"Of course you will." She said before she and Fubuki proceeded to open their books and read.

As these four began to relax and enjoy the beautiful day, in the other chairs nearby Atomu, Bunji, and Kamakyuri were having their own discussion.

"So who do you guys think would win in a fight?" Bunji asked as he pointed to Puri Puri Prisoner "Him or me?"

"Him." Atomu quickly answered causing the other looking at him.

"What why?" Bunji asked.

"Because the moment he got naked you wouldn't want to touch him, let alone him touching you." Atomu explained, causing the memory of naked Puri Puri Prisoner fighting the Sea King to come to mind.

"Oh yeah good point." Bunji agreed with a shudder at the image "What do you think Kamakyuri?" He asked looking to his right for the mantis's input.

However, as he and Atomu looked at him they saw he wasn't even paying attention to the conversation but was instead intensely staring at something. Following his gaze they found themselves looking towards the pool, specifically at Mutsuko.

"Um...Kamakyuri..." Bunji spoke as he gave the other a light nudge "Why are you staring at Mutsuko?" He asked.

This time the other had heard his question, which in turn caused him to slightly jump from surprise.

"W-What?!" Kamakyuri said in a startled manner "I-I wasn't staring at her, why would I be staring at her? you guys are weird if you think I was staring at her!" He told them as he looked away.

Falling silent as they weren't entirely sure what that was about, after exchanging a look between them Atomu and Bunji decided to ask another question to hopefully shed some light on this.

"Do you have a crush on Mutsuko?" Atomu asked causing the other look back at them with an expression of shock and horror.

"W-WHAT?! OF COURSE NOT! W-WHY WOULD YOU ASK THAT?!" Kamakyuri questioned.

"Well first off you're freaking out like an insane person." Bunji pointed out "And second, you were looking at her the way she looks at One Punch Man."

"I was not!" Kamakyuri exclaimed defensively.

"He's right, he wasn't." Atomu agreed causing him to sigh in relief.

"Thank you Atomu." He said.

"He was actually looking at her as though he was a predator watching his prey, though instead of wanting to eat her I think he had other ideas in mind." Atomu explained causing Bunji to have an amused grin come to his face while Kamakyuri's blue face suddenly had a reddish tint to it.

"THAT IS A LIE!" He exclaimed as he stood from his seat "You know what? I don't have to take this, I'm going to another seat!" He said as he turned his back to them.

"Hey hey calm down." Bunji said as he got up and put a hand on the other's shoulder "How about we all just take a breath, pull back on the comments, and just talk this out hm?" He suggested.

Debating whether or not he should take them up on that offer, inevitably Kamakyuri found himself sighing as he knew if he didn't tell them about it now they'd just bug him later until he did, so he reluctantly sat back down followed by Bunji.

"Fine, I have a crush on her." He admitted.

"When did this happen?" Atomu asked.

"Yeah and how?" Bunji added.

"It caught me by surprise actually." Kamakyuri admitted as he laid back "Everything was fine until last week, we were just hanging out more and going on patrols together, but I only saw her as my friend and nothing more, but then when the attack was over and we were told about this vacation, she came to my room and asked me to give her my opinion on something."

"Was it her bathing suit?" Bunji asked receiving a nod in response.

"Yeah it was, only when I saw her my face got all red and I just froze up, she asked me if I was sick or something and when I didn't respond she just left the room." He explained.

"But she's naked all the time, why would seeing her in a bathing suit suddenly make you have a crush?" Atomu asked.

"Well...after one of our patrols we were walking past this clothing store and she saw some clothes she wanted to wear, only she couldn't because they had been made for humans and not for her of course, so after that the whole way back she started asking me what I thought she would look like in those kinds of clothes as well as clothes in general." Kamakyuri answered.

"Ah, so when you were imagining how she would look it sorta gave you this like mentality that if she took clothes off she'd be sexier." Bunji suggested.

"I guess? I'm not really sure, all I know is before I saw her in that swimsuit she was just my friend Mutsuko, but now it's like she's this...person who I can't approach without getting all awkward." He explained.

"Maybe it's because of the amount of time you've been spending together, usually when people spend so much time together and are as close as you two have been getting, they tend to develop some kind of feelings for each other." Atomu suggested.

"That makes sense." Kamakyuri agreed then followed with a sigh "But it's not like any of this matters though because she's head over heels with One Punch Man, so even if I did tell her or something it'd just make things really awkward between us." He reasoned.

"Well what if we helped you?" Bunji suggested causing both him and Atomu to look at him.

"What." They said in unison completely unsure as to where he was going with this.

"Think about it, we still have four days of this trip left, we could help you confess your feelings to Mutsuko before we leave!" He said with a smile.

"...That has got to be the single worst idea you have ever had." Atomu told him.

"What why?" Bunji asked as he turned to look at him.

"You want us to purposely create a situation where it's just Kamakyuri and Mutsuko so that he can tell her about his feelings for him, even though she won't have those same feelings, the entire thing will just be a setup to embarrass Kamakyuri." Atomu explained.

"Yeah what he said!" Kamakyuri agreed.

"Not unless we get Mutsuko to realize her own feelings for Kamakyuri before then!" Bunji argued.

"...Okay now you've officially lost me." Atomu said causing the other to sigh.

"LOOK it's REALLY simple." Bunji assured as he put his hands in front of him "Mutsuko likes One Punch Man because he's so strong and amazing, and while she has gotten to know him the fact is Kamakyuri here has known her his entire life, has probably spent more time with her, and knows literally everything she likes, dislikes, and loves, HE has the advantage here!" He explained.

"...Go on." Atomu said as he actually could see where he was going with this.

"I'm not saying we do something ridiculous like set up some kind of dance for them, but if we can just make Mutsuko realize that she has a lot more in common and a better connection with Kamakyuri, then maybe she'll feel the same way." He went on.

"And if she doesn't?" Atomu asked.

"Then there's no harm done." Bunji answered "Because like I said we're not gonna set him up to be embarrassed, we're just going to try and see if Mutsuko has those feelings for him and doesn't realize it, or if she could have those feelings for him but for some reason chooses not to, in either situation we get answers to either question at no expense to Kamakyuri." He concluded as he laid back in his chair.

"I...actually like it." Kamakyuri admitted "I mean, it'll be a little sad if she doesn't feel the same way or won't feel the same way, but at least then I'll know." He reasoned.

"Exactly, all we're doing is testing out a theory, in no way are we actually intending to make anything happen." Bunji added.

Taking a moment to consider it Atomu had to admit that it wasn't a completely terrible idea, and if they were just going to see if Mutsuko did have some unknown feelings or perhaps could have those kind of feelings for Kamakyuri, then there would be no harm or backlash for him or her.

"Alright, let's do it." Atomu said "But if we're going to do this we need to have a plan for each day that remains, we have to focus on something specific."

"What do you mean?" Kamakyuri asked.

"Basically, we need to use each day as a test for a different part of this plan, such as one day we'll each at different times ask her about One Punch Man, we'll start the conversation off with just asking her what he's like, what does she usually do when she's with him, then we'll move the conversation into a more personal territory like why do you have a crush on him." He explained.

"Ooooooh I see, so then when she says why she has a crush on him, we can then start talking about Kamakyuri." Bunji said.

"Yes but it has to be subtle, we'll have to ask her if she thinks that way about anyone else or if she thinks anyone else is whatever she says One Punch Man is, and if Kamakyuri comes up from her side of the conversation then we'll go from there." Atomu explained.

"Man this is getting good." Kamakyuri admitted as he sat up "What else should we talk about?" He asked.

As the trio began to go in depth with their plan and how it would all work out, in the pool Mutsuko, Genjiro, Fujio, and Suguru were still trying to figure out what game it was they were supposedly playing.

"So how does marco polo work again?" Suguru asked.

"If I remember correctly we're supposed to close our eyes while one of us moves around the pool and while we have our eyes closed we say marco they say polo and we have to try and find them." Fujio answered.

"...That sounds really stupid." Genjiro said bluntly.

"Yeah and dangerous, what if we bump into someone else or just hit the side of the pool?" She asked.

"Is it just me or do all of the pool games we've gone through sound stupid to some degree?" Suguru asked.

"No it isn't you, they are all without question stupid." Genjiro answered.

"What's wrong with you? you seem to be upset." Mutsuko asked.

"We've been sitting here for nearly ten minutes just trying to figure out what we should do! so yeah I'm a little bored and tired of just sitting here!" He replied as he threw his arms into the air.

"Why don't we ask Kaemon then?" She suggested as she looked down at the water "Maybe they have an idea."

"Like what to sit on the bottom of the pool and do nothing?" Genjiro asked.

"It's worth a shot, it's not like any of us are coming up with anything." She said before diving down beneath the water.

Swimming over to Kaemon who was sitting with their legs crossed and their eyes closed, she lightly tapped on their shoulder to get their attention.

"Oh hey Mutsuko." They greeted as they opened their eyes and looked towards her "What's up?" They asked.

Unfortunately for Kaemon they wouldn't be able to get an answer as due to the fact she couldn't breathe or speak underwater she could only point towards the surface.

"Oh right sorry..." They said with an awkward smile before they got to their feet and swam towards the surface.

Following them up the duo soon reached the surface, and after she regained her breath Mutsuko looked towards them and continued their conversation.

"Alright so Kaemon! we were wondering if you had an idea of something we could do, because we honestly don't have any idea." She said answering their question.

"Oh...um...hmm..." Kaemon sounded as they gave it some thought.

"Aaaaaand we're back at square one." Genjiro said only to be lightly bopped on the head by Mutsuko.

"Anything else you'd like to add?" She asked with a smile as he rubbed his head.

"I got it!" They exclaimed causing all eyes to fall to them "Why don't you guys have a splash contest?" They suggested.

"A splash contest?" They all asked in unison.

"Yeah humans did it all the time in the ocean! they'd be on boats and they'd do flips and stuff when they jumped before they hit the water, trying to see who could make the biggest splash or do the coolest trick!" They explained.

"That...actually sounds like a lot of fun." Fujio admitted as he looked around "And the pool's definitely big enough for us to do something like that." He noted.

"Plus there is a diving board at the other end." Suguru pointed out "So we could all head over there and get started." He suggested.

"Yeah let's do it!" Genjiro agreed genuinely excited for both the idea as well to finally be doing something.

"Thanks Kaemon!" Mutsuko exclaimed as she hugged them "You can go back to enjoying the water now!" She told them as she and the others swam towards the diving board.

Happy that they were able to help Kaemon let themselves sink down to the bottom of the pool again, where they then closed their eyes and resumed their peaceful enjoyment of the perfectly clean water. But outside of the pool Puri Puri Prisoner, Bang, and Genos were still trying to figure out how to use the grill, as the instructions had been as helpful as they would've liked.

"I don't understand why a grill needs so many different things." Bang admitted as he rubbed his chin "All we want to do is cook some food for later, and yet it feels like we're working a rocket ship."

"Did Metal Knight really expect us to be able to use this?" Puri Puri Prisoner asked "I mean honestly it's like we have to turn on ten different things before we can even cook."

"Maybe I can try something." Genos suggested as he stepped forward "But if I am to do this I'm going to need some space to work."

"What do you plan to do Genos?" Puri Puri Prisoner asked.

"I'm going to try and make the grill easier to use by removing some of it's additional features and components." He answered.

"You can do that so easily?" Bang asked admittedly impressed.

"Yes, thanks to me being a cyborg I can easily see what every part of the grill is meant for and remove them accordingly, however like I said I am going to need some space so I can work and place the parts down when I remove them." He explained.

"That's fine, we still need to get the food we need to cook, want to come with me?" Bang asked as he looked towards Puri Puri Prisoner.

"Of course, it'll be a lot faster and easier if I come along." He said.

"We'll be back shortly Genos, how long will it take before you're done?" Bang asked.

"It shouldn't take too long, but it all depends on how much there is I have to remove." He answered.

"Fair enough, let's go." Bang said as he and Puri Puri Prisoner walked away.

As they headed back inside to get the food while Genos went to work simplifying the grill, back with Saitama and the others Tatsumaki and Fubuki had actually finished their books unbelievably fast which they attributed to being psychics, and so now they were just striking conversation.

"So Saitama, have you noticed anything different lately?" Fubuki asked getting a confused look from not just him but King and Tatsumaki as well.

"What do you mean?" He questioned.

"Well, I was thinking about it earlier and haven't you noticed that there aren't as many people camping outside of your apartment lately?" She asked.

Upon hearing this Saitama and King both took a moment to think about it as there did seem to be a lack of hordes of reporters and fans that were usually so present, meanwhile Tatsumaki upon hearing this immediately shot a glare at her sister.

 _ **"WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING."**_ She asked via telepathy.

"You know what? you're right, I haven't been hearing them chant my name everyday for a while now, and I haven't seen any reporters or news crews following me around either." Saitama admitted.

"This is weird." King said as he put a hand to his chin "I don't think they've ever missed a day, but recently you've been left completely alone."

"I wonder why though, I didn't tell them to leave me alone, at least I don't think I did." Saitama said before he turned to Tatsumaki "What do you think Tatsumaki?"

"...What." She spoke as if she hadn't been paying attention.

"Why do you think I've been left alone for so long?" He asked.

"How should I know? I'm not some crazed stalker." She retorted as she crossed her arms "Besides why does it matter why they've stopped? so long as they're not chanting your name like a bunch of psychos you should be happy." She told him.

"Yeah I guess, still it is weird they'd just leave me alone all of a sudden." He replied as he laid back.

"There has to be some reason though, because I've seen those guys stand out in the rain with umbrellas, tents, and raincoats waiting for you to come outside, there's no way they'd decide to just quit." King argued.

"CAN WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE?!" Tatsumaki asked as she sat upright "I mean GEEZ not even on our vacation can we talk about anything other than those freaks!" She exclaimed.

"But we don't talk about them at all." Saitama countered.

Without so much as a word Saitama was suddenly flung from his chair and into the pool, causing not only a fairly big splash but also making everyone stop what they were doing and look towards the pool.

"Oh look he decided to go for a swim, why don't you go and join him King?" She suggested.

Not wanting to be flung himself King got up from his seat and entered the pool, leaving the two sisters alone.

"Not. a. word." She said as she laid back making sure to avoid eye contact with her sibling.

"Fine, but just remember he got up from the seat so when he sits back down we're switching." Fubuki told her causing her to scoff.

After King got into the pool and Saitama rose to the surface with no injuries of course, everyone went back to doing what they were before just assuming that it was another "moment" of Tatsumaki's. However, unknown to the heroes not too far from the resort a certain alien was flying towards them, but thankfully it was invisible and so they wouldn't be able to see him.

 _"Man these snacks are delicious!"_ Geryuganshoop thought as he used his esp to move some chips he held in one of his tendrils to his mouth _"I'll give humans credit, they know how to make delicious food."_

Now one would of course question how in the world Geryuganshoop managed to acquire said snacks seeing as how he had to keep a low profile, and while he didn't just stroll into a store and buy them, as he was flying around he happened to come across a car wreck in one of the nearby cities that involved a truck carrying various bags of chips. And while thankfully no one had been seriously injured in the inciddent, the commotion of the situation did allow for him to sneakily take some bags for himself...purely for the sake of sampling the foods of the species of course. Anyways, seeing as how he now had a haul of chips on his person he decided he had flown around enough for the day and headed back to the resort to relax and...sample these chips. Unfortunately for the blissfully unaware extraterrestrial, he was about to learn first hand a law created by man known as Murphy's Law, which states that everything that can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible moment.

For you see, at this very moment a multitude of different things were happening, first there was Genos who was currently with great care removing one of the fuel tanks that had already been installed into the grill, as the fuel it used was extremely sensitive. Then there was Puri Puri Prisoner and Bang, who were just about to walk back outside with a haul of food varying from fruits and vegetables to meats of all kinds. Finally you had the true catalyst for the disaster Mutsuko, who was the last one out of her, Fujio, Genjiro, and Suguru to jump off of the diving board and into the water. Now you might be thinking how any of this could turn out bad for Geryuganshoop or anyone for that matter, but you see in order to make the biggest splash Mutsuko planned to boost her jump with her wings, which of course would not only be cheating but it would also cause her to fly up into the air at the exact moment Geryuganshoop was flying over the pool.

And so, as a few more seconds passed by soon Geryuganshoop was over the pool and before he could see her coming Mutsuko jumped off of the board and right up to him.

"ALRIGHT HERE I GO!" She shouted as she went up into the sky.

"HEY THAT'S CHEATING!" Genjiro shouted after her.

"Hm?" Geryuganshoop sounded as he looked down, for her shout in particular sounded quite close.

But before he could react or do anything Mutsuko didn't just fly into him but managed to hit his head with her own, and due to the speed from which she took off she successfully managed to knock them both unconscious. Now of course having been watching her the trio were already shocked and baffled that she had apparently hit something in the air, but once he was knocked out Geryuganshoop's camouflage dropped, meaning that he could be seen as well.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" They shouted in unison causing everyone to look up.

"IS THAT AN OCTOPUS?!" Metal Bat asked with widened eyes, which everyone else had as well.

"MUTSUKO!" "GERYUGANSHOOP!" Kamakyuri and Tatsumaki shouted in unison as they both shot up from their seats.

Not even thinking for a second Kamakyuri leapt into the air as to catch Mutsuko, while Tatsumaki with her powers tried to catch Geryuganshoop. And if things had been different they would've been successful, but unfortunately all of this had transpired right after Genos removed the canister, and due to his shock he unintentionally let it slip from his hands allowing it to fall towards the ground.

"We're back~ and we've got food for everyone!" Puri Puri Prisoner exclaimed as he and Bang stepped out with arms full of food.

.

.

.

Everything for the next few moments for everyone was pure silence, but it wasn't because everything had gone quiet, it was due to the fact that the canister upon hitting the ground ruptured causing it as well as the grill to explode. And while thankfully the only one near the explosion was Genos, who would be perfectly fine due to him being a cyborg, it was still loud and powerful causing everyone to be blown back by it's force and their hearing to temporarily be replaced by ringing. This in turn resulted in Tatsumaki failing to catch Geryuganshoop and Kamakyuri to fail in catching Mutsuko as the explosion sent him flying into the building, causing them to fall into the pool and make a splash so big it sent nearly all of the water flying out as well as everyone that was in the pool. As for Puri Puri Prisoner and Bang, they were also pushed back by the explosion which caused the food they had in their arms to go flying all over the place, some of it landing in the pool, some of it landing in the chairs, and then some of it landing back inside the resort.

And yet while this whole scenario was nothing but pure chaos and insanity, in the middle of the pool which had barely any water left in it stood Saitama who of course was unaffected by any of this, and Kaemon who avoided the whole ordeal thanks to being at the bottom of the pool.

"Whoa...what did I miss?" They asked as they looked towards Saitama.

"To be honest...I have no idea." He answered as he simply stood there with his usual blank expression.


	52. The Heroes Retreat: The End Part 1

"Alright..." Metal Knight spoke with a sigh as his robot stood in front of everyone, it's arm holding it's head in an exasperated position "How exactly did THIS happen?..."

An explosion by it's very nature is incredibly loud and attention grabbing, combine that with a humanoid praying mantis flying through the building, a tidal wave of water going everywhere from the pool, and the countless food items being splayed about, it was no surprise that EVERYONE working in the resort would come to see what had transpired. And while the staff were busy rushing to the sides of everyone to make sure they hadn't been hurt or even killed, Metal Knight's robot on the other hand stared silently at the scene as it's maker had to take a moment to truly process this. Now within reason Metal Knight had expected there to be incidents as you don't just put a bunch of insanely powerful people under one roof and expect nothing will happen, but after One Punch Man had been sent flying through the building he figured they'd be a lot more careful. But unfortunately for the genius inventor and engineer they weren't, and while the damages done were honestly quite minimal in comparison to the aforementioned inciddent with One Punch Man, it still baffled him that only three days into this trip they were already causing more repair work for his robots and himself.

Which is exactly why once everyone had been given a look over to ensure they were fine, and they were given the rest of the day to relax and recover from the experience, at the very start of the fourth day Metal Knight requested they all gather in the dining hall for a little chat.

"It was an octopus!" Genjiro exclaimed putting all eyes on him "Everything was fine until Mutsuko hit some kind of flying invisible octopus!"

"...That is ridiculous." Metal Knight replied.

"No man it's true we all saw it!" Metal Bat argued as he stepped forward "We were just minding our business when these guys shouted about somethin', and when we looked to see what it was we saw that mosquito girl and some weird looking thing falling from the sky!" He explained earning a nod of agreement from everyone present.

"Oh really?" Metal Knight asked as he gestured to all of them "So answer me this then, where is the octopus hm? because after you all were brought inside and I began repairs, neither the staff nor my drones came across any such creature."

"He got away then, because we're telling you we saw him." Metal Bat assured receiving another collective nod from the others in agreement.

"That is impossible." Metal Knight told him as the robot then gestured to the room "This resort as well as the surrounding property contained within these walls are all monitored constantly by both the security staff on site as well as my own system, if anything not permitted to be here so much as bent a blade of grass the wrong way, we'd know about it."

"He could've flown away! I mean that's how he showed up anyways!" Fujio argued.

"Again, that is impossible, for if the creature you claim you saw took off immediately after having crashed the cameras would've seen it and this would be an entirely different conversation." He explained.

"So what we all just had the EXACT same hallucination at the exact same time, is that what you're implying?" Child Emperor asked, finding it hard to believe someone who was arguably as smart as he was would believe such a theory.

"It's the only thing that makes sense, despite it being ludicrous." Metal Knight stated "Also there is the fact that not ALL of you saw this octopus." He revealed causing them all to go wide eyed.

"Wait what? what're you talking about?" Zombieman asked.

"First there is Pig God who was up in his room all day eating snacks and watching television, but he of course isn't included in this for that reason." Metal Knight began as his robot held up one finger "But then you have those who were present and say that they only saw Mutsuko fall from the sky towards the pool, there was no octopus."

"And who're they huh? cause we're all here!" Metal Bat questioned.

"No you're not, One Punch Man, Tornado, Blizzard of Hell, and their guest Kaemon are not present." Metal Knight replied.

Taking a moment to look among themselves they were surprised to find he was right, those four weren't actually among them.

"Why aren't they here?" King asked.

"Because as I said they claim this octopus you people saw doesn't exist, they only saw Mutsuko falling towards the pool, and so that leaves us with a simple he said she said situation." Metal Knight answered "And while Tornado and Blizzard were affected by the explosion like all of you, and Kaemon was at the bottom of the pool at the time, One Punch Man however was above water and had the exact same perspective that most of you had, and seeing as how nothing of course affects him, he has the most clear memory of what truly happened." He explained before pointing to all of them "So I'm going to say this once and only once, for the remainder of your trip you are not to cause anymore damage to the resort, any such actions will result in your stay being ended prematurely." He stated causing them all to go wide eyed once more.

"What?! you can't do that!" Metal Bat objected.

"Actually I can, for while I work for the association just the same as all of you, I still am responsible for this resort as well as all of it's resources, which includes every bit of food that was ruined due to your carelessness, so from now on it would be in your best interest to not be reckless." He told them as his robot turned to leave "Enjoy the rest of your day." He told them before the machine took it's leave.

Being left alone with their thoughts, everyone while having a good deal of things come to their minds all had the same question appear first, it being that if One Punch Man said that he didn't see an octopus like they did, could they all actually have seen nothing or just believed they saw something in the insanity of the moment?

"No way!" Mutsuko exclaimed gaining their attention "I know for a FACT that I hit something when I was up there! he can't tell me I'm crazy!" She said with a huff before taking her leave.

"Mutsuko wait!" Kamakyuri called after as he and the other house members followed her.

"Yeah but, One Punch Man said he didn't see anything and we were all looking up, so maybe something weird did just happen?" Superalloy Blackluster suggested.

"I didn't smell anything weird before it happened or after, so unless it didn't have a scent then...it could be possible." Watchdog Man commented.

"I'm gonna go talk to him." King said as he walked away.

"I'll come with you." Genos said as he followed.

* * *

There were very few things that surprised Saitama anymore, I mean how could anything top genetically engineered animal people, a walking talking person made of kombu, and even a massive alien armada? Yet as he sat inside of his room staring at the strange blue creature that was still asleep on the couch in his room, he had to admit this was something he'd never expect to see. But how could he have possiblly sneaked this creature not only into the resort but also up to his room, surely someone or even one of the many cameras located in the building would've seen him doing so? Well in truth, while Saitama did in fact manage to come up with a plan on the spot the real person to thank for pulling it off was Kaemon, as without them they most certainly would've been caught.

* * *

 _"Whoa...what did I miss?" Kaemon asked as they looked towards Saitama._

 _"To be honest...I have no idea." He answered as he simply stood there with his usual blank expression._

 _Taking a look around them to take in all that happened, both Kaemon and Saitama soon spotted something lying in one end of the pool that immediately gained all of their focus._

 _"What is that?!" Kaemon asked as they ran over "It's like some kind of octopus!" They exclaimed as Saitama walked over._

 _"I don't know._ _" He said as he squatted down to get a better look "But I don't think it's an octopus." He added as he poked it's head._

 _"It sure doesn't look like any octopus I've ever seen, but if it's not an octopus then what is it?" Kaemon asked as they too squatted down and poked the creature's head._

 _Unfortunately_ _for the duo they wouldn't be able to poke and prod the mysterious being any further, as the sound of numerous people running towards them could be heard, almost sounding like a stampede._

 _"Guess the staff heard the explosion." Saitama said as he stood back up._

 _"What're they gonna do if they see this thing though?" Kaemon asked as they did the same._

 _"Dunno, they might take it to the kitchen and make calamari out of it." He replied causing a look of horror to appear on Kaemon's face._

 _"WHAT?! THEY CAN'T DO THAT!" They protested as they got in front of Saitama._

 _"Or they might dissect it, I hear that's what people do when they discover an animal that they don't know." He said causing the other to panic more._

 _"GAH! WE HAVE TO HELP THEM THEN!" Kaemon shouted as they rushed back over to the creature._

 _Realizing just then he was freaking Kaemon out, Saitama quickly did his best to calm them._

 _"I'm just guessing though Kaemon, I don't know what they'll do to it." He admitted._

 _"But they could hurt it right? they could even kill it?" Kaemon asked as they looked up at him, their eyes almost overflowing with tears._

 _There was a lot of conflict happening inside of Saitama at the moment, on one hand he truly did believe that the association would just study the creature to learn about it, but then again on the other hand knew that monsters and weird creatures usually didn't last long in the association's hands so that might not be the case. Plus there was the fact that Kaemon was now staring up at him with tear filled eyes and he really did hate it when they were sad._

 _"Okay we'll sneak it out of here." He told them which immediately brought a smile to their face "But if we're going to do it we need to think of something quick."_

 _"I know!" Kaemon exclaimed as they made their kombu grow "I'll cover me and it with my kombu, then you carry us to your room!" They suggested._

 _"Can you make your kombu that long though?" He questioned._

 _Deciding to answer him by doing just that, Kaemon laid down on top of the creature and made their kombu grow absurdly long, which was mostly thanks to all the water they got from being in the pool. They then wrapped their kombu around both themselves and the creature, and while the length and size were of course bigger than Kaemon's body, it honestly was impossible to tell that there was anything hidden in all that kombu._

 _"Okay so here's the plan! you pick us up, I'll pretend to be unconscious, then when you carry us out if anyone asks why there's so much kombu you tell them that I let it grow out while I was under the pool to make it seem more like the ocean!" They explained with a proud grin on their face._

 _"Huh, that's actually a really good idea, nice job." He praised which made their grin even bigger._

 _Unfortunately they didn't have anymore time to talk, for the sound of shocked gasps and voices soon came from just outside of the pool as the staff had arrived._

 _"Okay here we go." He said as he picked them up without any problem "Remember, don't move at all otherwise it might not work." He told them._

 _"On it!" They exclaimed as they closed their eyes and let their head go limp, leaving their mouth open as well for better effect._

 _And so, with the creature successfully hidden in Kaemon's kombu, Saitama was able to easily take them both past the staff, through all of the cameras, and up the elevator to his room. It was also lucky that despite his personality Metal Knight still did respect the privacy people were entitled to, and hadn't installed any such cameras in the rooms themselves._

* * *

"Are they still sleeping?" Kaemon asked as they came out of the bedroom and over to the couch.

"Mhm, haven't moved at all since we put them down." Saitama answered as they sat down beside him "By the way, what did you do with all that kombu after we set them down?" He asked.

"I just made it short again, it's not hard." They said as they demonstrated how much control they had over the kombu's length.

"Oh." He simply said before looking back to the creature "So...what do we do now?" He asked.

"I dunno, guess we just wait for it to wake up is all." They answered with a shrug.

Even though they could've easily just turned on the TV and watched it until the creature decided to wake up, the duo actually just sat there and stared at it waiting for the exact moment when it rose from slumber. Unknown to them however, there was currently another duo a bit beside themselves as they walked through the halls searching for that very same creature.

* * *

"Where is he?!" Tatsumaki questioned as she hastily stomped through the hallways "He's got to be hiding out around here somewhere!"

After the two sisters woke from the unconscious states their first thoughts were about Geryuganshoop and what could've possibly happened to him after everything that happened. And while they were relieved beyond belief to learn from Metal Knight that this "octopus" the others claimed to have seen hadn't be caught on any cameras or seen by any of the staff, there was still the question as to what became of him. In truth they did consider the possibility of Metal Knight lying to all of them and having taken the creature for himself, but they decided to focus on the hope that this wasn't the case and Geryuganshoop simply sneaked away somehow. Which is why as of the moment they are frantically searching every empty room and closet they could find on all of the floors, in hopes that he had simply ducked into one of them.

Even though they knew that there were probably cameras all around, so if he had done such a thing then Metal Knight would've definitely seen it, making the possibility of him lying to them all the more plausible, which in turn only made them more worried.

"We've checked all of the empty floors, the only ones left are the ones being occupied by everyone." Fubuki told her as she followed.

"Well he couldn't have gone into any of their rooms! he'd been found out in a second!" Tatsumaki argued until a sudden thought came to her mind, causing her to stop "Oh my god..." She muttered with widened eyes.

"What is it?" Fubuki asked as she stopped at her side.

"Who is the one person we know that would help anyone regardless or who or what they are?" She asked causing Fubuki's eyes to widen.

"You don't think-" She began to ask only to pulled towards the elevator by her sister.

"IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES ANY SENSE!" Tatsumaki exclaimed as she dragged her sister behind her "Only Saitama would do something like that!" She added as they quickly reached the elevator, and she began rapidly pressing the down button.

Thankfully there were two elevators, for while Tatsumaki and Fubuki both got into the one on the right, the one on the left was busy carrying King and Genos up.

"Do you think he lied?" Genos asked as King crossed his arms.

"Saitama doesn't really lie, at least I've never seen him lie." He replied as he thought about it "Though it's not like he would have a tell if he did lie, he does kinda have the best poker face in the world."

"That is true, it's almost impossible to tell what he's thinking most of the time." Genos admitted "Still, he wouldn't lie about something like this would he?" He asked.

"That's why we're going to talk to him to see if there's more to this then there is." King said "But who knows, maybe something weird did end up happening and we're just trying to make sense of it." He reasoned.

"There have been many recorded instances of the human brain creating memories or images in order to make sense of what it's seeing." Genos explained.

"Really? it can just make up memories?" King asked wide eyed receiving a nod in response.

"Many times in moments of stress, confusion, or excitement, the brain will create memories that feel so authentic and real that it is impossible to discern them from what truly happened." Genos answered.

"Wow, that's...actually kinda scary." King admitted.

"Indeed." Genos agreed as the elevator reached their floor.

Stepping out of the elevator the two were stopped in their tracks by the sight of Tatsumaki and Fubuki running out of the other elevator the exact same moment there's had opened.

"Hey guys." King greeted causing them to stop and turn around "Is something wrong?" He asked.

"Oh! hello King!" Fubuki greeted in return trying to keep a composed demeanor "Funny running into you here!" She said with a nervous smile on her face.

"This is our floor." King pointed out causing her smile to falter.

"R-Right of course it is! which is exactly why it's funny for us to run into you here!" She tried to explain only to make them even more confused.

"Um...okay?" King replied before looking to Tatsumaki "So what's up guys? you seem to be in a rush." He said causing Tatsumaki to cross her arms.

"What're you talking about? we're not in a rush, mind your own business!" She hastily said with a huff before turning away.

"But you came running out of the elevator like you had somewhere to be." King pointed out causing the both of them to slightly flinch "Are you headed to check on Saitama?" He asked.

"YES THAT'S EXACTLY IT!" Both sisters shouted in unison only to clear their throats and regain their composure.

"What we mean is, yes that's what we're doing." Fubuki calmly said as she straightened her dress.

"So unless you two want to waste our time even more, we'll be on our way." Tatsumaki told them as they turned around.

"Actually we're going to check on Saitama too." King told them causing them to freeze.

"Y-You are?" Fubuki asked.

"Yes, so let's all go together." Genos said as he and King walked up to them.

"Won't it be a little weird though if we all just show up? why don't we go first then you guys come in after we leave?" Tatsumaki suggested.

"But we show up at his place all the time, why would this be any different?" King asked.

"Yeah but not all at once! it'll be like a mob or something, and that'll be weird." Tatsumaki argued, doing everything she could to get them to leave,

"You two are acting very strangely, are you feeling well after yesterday?" Genos asked as they reached Saitama's door.

"Of course we are! we just think that after yesterday Saitama might not want so many people bothering him at once is all." Fubuki chimed in hoping to help her sister.

"But we're his friends, he won't mind if we check in." King reasoned as he grabbed onto the knob.

However, just as he was about to open the door Tatsumaki got in front of him, catching not only him and Genos by surprise but her sister as well.

"I will give you both a hundred thousand yen each if you leave right now." She offered as she held her arms out to block them further.

 **(A/N: A hundred thousand yen is roughly one thousand american dollars)**

"Um...why?" King asked unsure as to what could possibly be the reason for such an offer.

"It doesn't matter, both of you scram right now and you're a hundred thousand yen richer." She told him.

"But that isn't that much considering I am A class and King is S class." Genos pointed out.

"Are you calling me cheap?!" Tatsumaki questioned suddenly forgetting why she made the offer in the first place and taking immediate offense.

"No." Genos answered bluntly as he didn't feel like being thrown into another wall by the esper.

However, before this conversation could continue any further the door suddenly opened to reveal Saitama in his blue pajamas standing on the other side.

"Oh hey it's you guys." He greeted as Tatsumaki turned around "I was wondering what all the noise was about."

Without so much as a word in response though Fubuki and Tatsumaki hastily entered the room and began looking around, seeing if there was any sign of Geryuganshoop.

"Come on in." He simply said not seeming to be surprised it, as he stepped aside so King and Genos could enter "What's up?" He asked while closing the door behind them.

"We just wanted to check on you and see how you were after yesterday." King answered as he and Genos also looked around, but mostly just to do so and not in the way Tatsumaki and Fubuki were.

"I'm fine, like always." He said casually as he walked over to the couch and sat down.

"What about Kaemon?" Genos asked.

"They're fine too, the splash just caught them off guard and they passed out, but other than that they weren't hurt." Saitama answered.

"That's good." King said as he looked towards him "So uh...thing is Saitama we actually came to ask you something." He admitted.

"Oh?" The other inquired.

"Everyone else, including me and Genos, are certain that we saw some kind of octopus looking creature in the sky with Mutsuko." King began immediately gaining Fubuki and Tatsumaki's attention "But Metal Knight says that you, Fubuki, Tatsumaki, and Kaemon all didn't see it, but because they were all affected by what happened, you're really the only one who knows exactly what happened." He explained as he rubbed the back of his head "So I don't mean to doubt what you told Metal Knight but, did you actually not see anything?" He asked.

A very tense silence took the room as everyone waited for Saitama's answer, and even though it would only be a few seconds of time that passed by, to Tatsumaki and Fubuki it felt like an eternity.

"...I'm sorry to tell you guys, but I really didn't see anything." Saitama told them as he crossed his arms "When I heard shouting I looked up like everyone else, and all I saw was Mutsuko falling from the sky before that explosion happened, if there was an octopus with her I didn't see it at all." He recounted.

Taking a few moments to think about his reply, even though he did have his usual lack of expression face present, there didn't seem to be any kind of hesitation or missing detail in his story so they believed him.

"Well alright then, guess that settles that." King said as he and Genos walked to the door "Sorry for not believing it when we first heard it, just seemed really weird is all."

"It's no big deal." Saitama assured him as he got up to see them out.

"It still is strange though that the rest of us saw it, wonder why?" Genos questioned as they opened the door.

"Who knows?" Saitama said with a shrug as they stepped out "See you guys later." He told them with a small wave before he closed the door.

Breathing a sigh of relief Saitama turned back around and looked at Fubuki and Tatsumaki, who were still standing there as they weren't entirely certain if he had told the truth or not.

"So, do you guys know about the octopus?" He asked causing their eyes to widen.

"So you did see it!" They both exclaimed in unison.

"Nope I didn't see it falling, I really did only see Mutsuko, that part was entirely true." He told them as he looked towards the bathroom door "But AFTER everything was done me and Kaemon did see an octopus in the other end of the pool though." He explained.

Upon hearing this be said Kaemon, who had been hiding in the bathroom this whole time, stepped out with a still slumbering Geryuganshoop safely and carefully carried in their kombu. Feeling a wave of relief and joy come over them as he seemed to be perfectly safe, the sisters walked over to him to see if he was injured.

"Is he hurt at all?" Fubuki asked.

"Not from what we could see, but then again we wouldn't really know what to look for." He answered as he too walked over.

"How'd you guys sneak him up here?" Tatsumaki asked.

"You can thank Kaemon for that, they hid it in they're kombu, all I had to do was carry them both up here." He answered.

"Yup it was super easy." Kaemon said with a smile, which in turn caused Tatsumaki to smile.

"Good job Kaemon." She praised as she lightly patted their head causing them to smile even more.

"So I guess you both want to know the story behind all of this?" Fubuki asked as she looked towards Saitama receiving a nod in response "Then why don't I make us all some tea first, because this is going to take a while." She suggested as she walked over to the stove.

And so, as Fubuki began making the tea, Kaemon took Geryuganshoop over to the couch, and Saitama and Tatsumaki walked over and sat down on in the two nearby chairs, both Kaemon and Saitama were admittedly excited to here whatever story there was to be told.

* * *

You know, it's easy in the insanity, the madness, and the flat out crazy happenings that have occurred over the past few days for the heroes staying at the resort to not take notice that someone who arrived with them, is no longer present. Of course though it wasn't any of the S class nor was it any of the guests they brought with them, instead it was doctor Genus who took his leave just before the third day began. He told his creations that something had come up back at the house and he needed to take an immediate leave, however what he failed to inform them of was the nature of the inciddent. For if he had told them the finer details of the problem that had pulled him away, he would be at risk of the other heroes, specifically One Punch Man, finding out something that they were not ready to know.

"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!" A ghastly hellish scream echoed throughout a chamber followed by the sound of something within beating against the chamber's walls.

"What the hell could he possibly have in there?" Vaccine Man wondered as he, Fukegao, and Marugori all stood outside the chamber's door.

Ever since they had been taken from the prison and been given this second chance at freedom, Vaccine Man and The Brain and Brawn Brothers have been working under both Doctor Genus as well as his clones, and while they had been subjected to some experiments since they arrived, they hadn't been put through anything horrible or agonizing, if anything the most horrible thing they've been put through is just cleaning duty.

"Whatever it is it sounds pissed off." Marugori noted as Fukegao rubbed his chin.

"It is strange though, doctor Genus is without question the most brilliant mind when it comes to genetics, so I find it odd he would somehow make a creature that seems so unstable..." He said.

However, the trio of former villains wouldn't be able to continue their conversation, as the sound of the elevator that brought them down there soon arrived, bringing with it not only the doctor himself but one of Metal Knight's robots.

"Ahem." The doctor sounded gaining their attentions.

"Oh hello doctor Genus!" Vaccine Man greeted as they all turned around.

"Might I ask what you three are doing down here?" Dr. Genus asked as he and Metal Knight's robot stepped out of the elevator and walked towards them.

"Your clones said we had to come down here and clean the floor." Marugori answered as he held up his mop.

"Ah, of course." Dr. Genus said as he looked towards the chamber's door "Tell me, has the subject been making any other sounds besides those hellish screams?" He asked whatever was inside continued to howl and bellow.

"No sir, but if I might ask why is this creation of yours so...savage?" Fukegao inquired as he stepped forward "Have you tried something new?"

"Yes actually, this particular specimen is the first project both me and Metal Knight have come together on." Dr. Genus answered.

"Indeed, we believed that with my knowledge of robotics and his knowledge of genetics, we could make a creature that was a combination of the two, not exactly a cyborg but something more." Metal Knight explained.

"At any rate, it's clear that the subject's mental stability is no longer sound, and as such we are here to make some changes in hopes of calming it down." Dr. Genus explained.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? to go in there I mean." Vaccine Man asked.

"Don't worry, we've placed countless precautions to ensure our safety is not in any question, for example." Metal Knight said as the lights on his robot's face blinked.

Suddenly the subject's howling and screaming stopped, causing the trio to look back at the door.

"As I said the subject is meant to be a perfect harmony of machine and flesh, however we knew going into this experiment there would be many unforeseen complications and issues, which is why the subject is completely under our control, with but the press of a button I can disable it's nervous system rendering it completely motionless and near lifeless." Metal Knight explained.

"But unfortunately each time this is done we are set back in the subject's development by a decent margin and must figure out how we can progress further, so if you three would be so kind as to leave so we can begin to work." Dr. Genus told them.

Simply nodding in response the trio satisfied with the answers they received got into the elevator and rode it back up to the main base, leaving the two geniuses alone.

"They seem to be well behaved, and even have a great deal of respect for you." Metal Knight commented as they walked towards the chamber door.

"They were a bit hesitant upon first arrival, but given some time and the proper treatment, I'm certain they'll be able to return to society without flaw." Dr. Genus replied.

"That's good, perhaps more villains in the prison can be rehabilitated as well." Metal Knight said as the robot looked towards the other "Tell me, how long do you think it'll take before this specimen is done?" He asked.

"Not very long, in fact we're almost done." Dr. Genus said as smirk came to his face "To be honest, while the other specimens we procured are still quite interesting to work on, this one has a personal value to me, and I can't wait to see it in action." He admitted.

"Well doctor, let us hope then that it won't be much longer until that time arrives." Metal Knight told him as the door to the chamber slowly opened.

Opening up just enough to where they could enter, once they were inside the door shut behind them so they could work undisturbed.


	53. The Heroes Retreat: The End Part 2

"And that's pretty much it." Tatsumaki said as she leaned back in her chair.

After Fubuki had finished making the tea she, Tatsumaki, Kaemon, and Saitama all sat around listened to the story of Geryuganshoop and how he came to be here at the resort, while he himself rested in Saitama's bedroom while they did so. And while they of course were expecting to be blown away, in truth they hadn't really considered just how much there was to know. Thankfully Tatsumaki didn't tell them about his home planet and so forth as she thought he would be able to do that better, but she did make sure to tell them why and how he became a member of lord Boros's crew. So now as the tea was nearly all gone except for what remained in their cups, the sisters looked towards the two of them slightly nervous as to what they would think.

"...Huh." Saitama sounded as he took a sip of his tea "What do you think Kaemon?" He asked as he looked towards the other.

"...Well...I don't think he's bad." They began as they looked down at their cup "It sounds like he had to do all that stuff, because he didn't have any other choice...and to be honest...I know what that feels like." They admitted before they looked back to Saitama "What about you?" They asked.

"I think he's cool." He said as he took one final sip of his tea before he set the now empty cup down "Sure he helped attack city A, and he probably helped attack a bunch of other planets too, but it sounds like he doesn't want to anymore and I think everyone should be given a second chance even if they've done something bad, they just have to prove though that they really mean it and aren't just saying it to get out of trouble." He explained.

However, as he looked towards the others to see what they had to say he found that they were all looking at him not with an intense gaze or one that was creepy, but one that made it clear they were listening to EVERY word that he spoke.

"What?" He asked being a little weirded out by their stares.

"Oh sorry Saitama." Fubuki apologized for them as they blinked and came back to their senses "It's just, I always forget how compassionate you can be." She admitted.

"I was just making sure you didn't say anything stupid." Tatsumaki said as she looked off to the side.

"I was just listening." Kaemon said with a shrug.

"Anyways, now that you two know about him you HAVE to keep him a secret, got it?" Tatsumaki asked as she looked back at them.

"Why?" Saitama asked in reply, immediately setting her off.

"BECAUSE IDIOT! IF ANYONE ELSE FINDS OUT ABOUT HIM WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'LL DO!" She shouted as she crossed her arms "Seriously it's like you have an off and on switch for your brain." She said with an eye roll.

"It wouldn't be that bad would it?" Saitama asked as he looked towards Fubuki.

"We don't know how he would received, and that's the problem Saitama." She told him as she crossed her legs "Looking past the fact he's an alien he took place in an attack that leveled an entire city and nearly killed every living thing in it, regardless if he was forced to or not people are going to want to see him be punished, if not right out killed." She explained.

"Yeah people aren't as merciful as you Saitama, we can't trust them." Tatsumaki said seeming to be a lot calmer and kinder as she did.

"I guess you're right, people would probably just want him to be like, pubicly executed or something." He agreed as he looked towards the bedroom "Even so, it's not like he can stay a secret forever." He said.

"Why not? we've done a good job so far." Tatsumaki contested.

Instead of replying with words though, everyone Kaemon included gave the green haired esper a look that was both doubtful and unconvinced of that statement.

"...Shut up." She told them with a huff.

"I'm not saying keeping him a secret is hard, but we don't know what's going to happen in the future and he might accidentally get found out, kinda like he almost was yesterday." Saitama explained.

"But that was a freak accident, it's not like he was intentionally trying to make a mistake." She argued.

"Yeah, but what will happen when another accident like that happens again, and we aren't so lucky to hide him?" He asked.

Taking a moment of silence to think of an answer to that, Tatsumaki was slowly getting angry again. But not because he was right, it was because despite her best efforts Tatsumaki had allowed herself to care about more people besides her sister, such as Saitama, Kaemon, and now Geryuganshoop. At one point she would've thought such friendships and relationships with others would just be weakness and vulnerabilities, but as she tried to think of an answer she couldn't keep herself from thinking on the good times she's had with Geryuganshoop, despite knowing him for such a short amount of time. And even though she just wanted to open her mouth and say with as much confidence as she could that she would be able to protect him no matter what, the fact is while she wouldn't hesitate to use her powers to keep him safe as much as he would do so himself, she wouldn't allow her or him to do so to the point where they'd be seen as villains and threats to the public.

So with the heaviest sigh she had ever breathed she looked to Saitama with a slightly annoyed expression, for despite how much thought she gave it she just couldn't come up with an answer that she was one hundred percent sure would work.

"I don't know okay?" She asked as she rested her head in her hand.

"I know!" Kaemon exclaimed gaining their attentions "What if we introduced Geryuganshoop to the world as a hero?" They suggested.

"What do you mean Kaemon?" Fubuki asked.

"I mean, the world already's been invaded by aliens right? so what if we introduce him as this friendly alien who came here to see if there were any survivors after the attack? but he finds that the earth is actually safe and so he decides to stay for a while to check things out, then a crime or something else happens, he goes and saves the day, and then he's seen as a hero!" They explained.

Taking another moment to think about that, the more the three heroes thought about it the more the idea made sense, for only they knew he was part of the attack, so if they staged him arriving on earth and made sure no one found out the truth, it could just work.

"That's a really good idea." Saitama admitted as he looked back to them "You're just having a lot of good ideas lately huh?" He asked causing them to look away.

"Aw nah, I just thought of something to do is all..." They replied bashfully.

"But it is a really good idea Kaemon, you should be proud." Fubuki praised causing them to hide their face in their kombu.

"Aw come on guys..." They said meekly as they were completely flustered.

"We'll have to run it by Geryuganshoop first, but if he likes it then it's a plan." Tatsumaki said.

And so with a plan of action worked out, all they had to do now was wait for the slumbering alien to awaken.

* * *

"...Hm...aha, there it is." Dr. Genus said as he looked towards Metal Knight's robot "I believe I've found the issue." He told him causing the other to move to his side.

"Was it a problem with the technology like we assumed?" He asked as the robot looked down.

"No, it appears that the muscles and organs are trying to regrow around the mechanical components, which in turn is causing new nerves to be formed." Dr. Genus explained.

"And since we had not intended for this it's causing these newly regrown parts immeasurable pain." Metal Knight stated earning a nod from the other.

"Yes, so it seems as though there isn't any issue in regards to our design, it's just the subject's own innate healing causing it's suffering." Dr. Genus explained.

"How ironic, it's own body is the cause for it's agony." Metal Knight replied slightly amused.

"This could be advantageous for us though." Dr. Genus said as he got to his feet "Think of it, one of our concerns was the subject remembering anything of it's previous life, but with this level of conflict within itself, there's no way it's mind will be able to focus on anything that might incite memories."

"True, but this also renders it a mindless savage lashing out at everything around it as it can't focus, in addition to it's inability to make the pain stop." Metal Knight argued as he looked back towards him "So what purpose would that serve?" He asked.

"What purpose did we have for it to begin with?" Dr. Genus countered as he wiped some blood from his hands "This subject was never meant for anything truly significant, from the beginning it was meant solely for our more sadistic pleasures and extreme experiments, it's not like we've ever intended to put it to a use."

"I suppose, but it does seem like it would be a waste for us to have spent so much time on this and not see something come from it." Metal Knight reasoned.

"Then perhaps the purpose it could serve is a means of acquiring battle data?" Dr. Genus suggested.

"What do you have in mind?" Metal Knight questioned.

"We release it in a city, nowhere near civilians of course and far enough away to where everyone will able to evacuate safely, and when the news of this attack get's out who do you think will show to stop it?" Dr. Genus asked.

"Do you think it could last any longer than it did the last time?" Metal Knight asked as he looked back at the subject "Before it died as everyone else excluding Boros has, with but a single punch."

"Yes but it's body was not as it is now, looking beyond the technology we've also introduced the same regenerative genes that Boros had, there is no question in my mind it'd survive a few standard punches." Dr. Genus answered.

"But ultimately it's meant to die isn't it?" Metal Knight asked causing the other to smile.

"But of course, there is no better ending to such a worthless creature, even with our additions to it's form it's still the same vile sea creature it was before." Dr. Genus answered as he turned around "Shall I make the preparations?"

"Yes, I'll find the perfect location that will garner enough immediate attention without posing any actual threat to any civilians." Metal Knight replied as his robot walked up to him.

And with that, the two scientists left to make the proper preparations to release their creature, even if it would only be to gather data on One Punch Man.

 **(A/N: The next chapter will be the finale of the resort arc, and besides the aftermath chapter that will follow we will then be getting back to canonical events from the actual series, also the reason why this chapter is so short in comparison to the two previous ones is simply because the finale to this arc will be quite long, so with that being said until next time, peace.)**


	54. The Heroes Retreat: The End Finale

City J, ever since the attack that came from the sea folk a good deal of things had happened. Besides repairs to any and all buildings, vehicles, and so forth caused by the sea folk which were covered completely by the association, Sweet Mask also came to the city and performed his latest album in a free entry benefit concert, and the city also received a few new additions. The first of these additions was of course a brand spanking new emergency shelter for if another event like the sea folk attack or possibly worse should happen, this time with assurance from Metal Knight himself there should be no way anything could put so much as a dent into the building, let alone smash a hole through it. Then there was a new addition to the beach, nothing extreme like a massive wall or anything but sensor buoys had been deployed to keep track of any abnormal movement below the waves, but they also did help ensure the safety of all boaters, divers, and civilians in general.

The final addition was a brand new radar detection system for the branch office located in the city, for if the buoys should miss something or perhaps if the threat wasn't coming from the ocean, this way they'd be a step ahead of the threat and would be able to warn the people long before it arrived. All in all while the attack had been devastating no one miraculously was killed, so the healing process for the people of this fine city didn't take too long, and so they were able to quickly return to their everyday lives as though the whole thing had been just one big nightmare. Which is exactly why it is oh so ironic that because of the newly installed security precautions that City J was the best choice for doctor Genus and Metal Knight to unleash their unholy monstrosity, as by the time it would get there everyone would be long gone.

* * *

"Are we set to go doctor Genus?" Metal Knight asked as his robot looked towards both the aforementioned scientist, as well as their slumbering creation.

Deciding to release their creation a hundred miles from the city, the duo took several precautions beforehand to ensure that not only would they be perfectly safe, but also that the creature would without doubt goes towards their designated destination. In order to ensure this, they had installed within the creature's brain a device that would only become active if it received a very specific transmission, where once it did the device would then come online and cause the creature immeasurable pain all the while directing it where to go to get this pain to stop. As for how they managed to transport it in absolute secret that was thanks entirely to Metal Knight, as he constantly has shipping containers whether they be on trucks or otherwise being moved all over the place, so simply hiding it in one of them was of no issue at all.

"Yes, everything is in order." Dr. Genus replied as he took a step back "What do you think their reaction will be when they see it, do you think they'll recognize him?" He asked.

"Doubtful, besides the god awful mutilation of it's form we've also altered the color of it's body and have made it's current form it's only form, meaning if it should go into the water there will be no transformation as what occurred when it began to rain on that day." Metal Knight replied as he looked towards the creature "Still, I do believe they will reel when they see it, it is rather ghastly." He admitted causing the other to smirk.

"After what this thing did to MY creations, I took a great deal of satisfaction of how horribly we've mangled it's former self." Dr. Genus said as he pushed his glasses up slightly "At any rate, I should be getting back to the house in order to properly monitor it."

"Yes, and I need to get the evacuation preparations ready to ensure everyone in City J will get out long before it arrives." Metal Knight replied.

With but a nod being shared between them the two geniuses set off in their own directions to get their plan underway, all the while their creation simply laid on the ground seemingly lifeless, awaiting to be awakened.

* * *

...

...

...

 _"Geryuganshoop"_

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _"Geryuganshoop where are you?"_

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _"GERYUGANSHOOP!"_

* * *

Jolting up with widened eyes and his heart beating faster than it had in some time, Geryuganshoop frantically looked around himself to gather his bearings. Thankfully as he looked around him he realized that this room, while not Tatsumaki's room was still a room located within the resort, causing him to release a sigh of relief. And while his mind should've asked whose room this was and how he came to be in it, it was far too focused on the voice that had spoken to him during his sleep.

 _"It's been twenty years...it couldn't...there's no way..."_ He thought as he put a tendril to his head.

Unfortunately for the slightly panicked alien he wouldn't be able to dwell on his thoughts for too long, as after a few more minutes the door of the room opened slightly gaining his attention.

"Oh you're awake!" Kaemon exclaimed with a smile as they stepped inside.

Watching as this strange pitch black creature with seaweed for hair entered the room, before Geryuganshoop could ask even a single question Kaemon was one step ahead of him.

"Before you say anything, let me explain." They spoke as they held up one finger "First you're in Saitama's room, you know One Punch Man? second, you're here because you got headbutted by Mutsuko, she's this big mosquito lady, third Tatsumaki and Fubuki know you're here, and four, you don't have to worry your secret is safe with us." They explained as they had counted each individual thing with their hand.

Remaining silent for the next few seconds after they were done, Geryuganshoop thinking hard about the last thing he could remember did recall flying through the air eating chips when he was suddenly struck with something and passed out, and given the fact he was still safe and hadn't be found out, he didn't really see any reason to distrust this creature or believe anything they were saying wasn't true.

"Okay...say I do believe you." He spoke as he raised a tendril and pointed towards them "Where are Tatsumaki and Fubuki?" He asked.

"They went to go get some lunch with Saitama, they would've eaten here but they figured it'd be too suspicious." Kaemon answered as they walked over to the bed "So, how're you feeling?" They asked.

"Well...besides a sense of deja vu I seem to be alright." He replied as he sat up.

"Deja vu? has this happened before?" They asked.

"When I first met Tatsumaki, I was nearly dead and I woke up in her bedroom." He answered.

"So she saved you then?" They asked.

"Yes, she could've left me to die or even killed me and yet she spared me." He answered as a small smile came to his face.

"That kinda sounds like what Saitama did for me." They replied as they sat down on the bed "When we first met I wanted to kill him so I could prove to my kind I was strong, but then he beat me without even trying and he didn't even kill me." They said.

"I thought he was called One Punch Man though?" He asked.

"He is, but he tends to avoid punching people if he can, he really only does it if he's got no other choice." They answered.

"Huh, sounds like the exact opposite of Boros." He admitted.

"Oh yeah the guy who fought Saitama, Tatsumaki told us about him, but she didn't really say what he was like." They replied.

"Believe me he was anything but merciful." He told them as he looked down at his body "To Boros being strong is all that mattered, which is how he became the dominator of the universe, he went from planet to planet conquering it if it had something he wanted, or if it just had someone he wanted to be a part of his crew."

"Sounds like someone I used to know." They admitted as they looked down at their lap "I used to serve someone called the Sea King, and he was horrible."

"What did he do?" He asked.

"He made fun of me all the time, would rip my kombu off along with the other sea folk whenever they wanted a snack, and he always made me feel like I wasn't worth anything because I wasn't as strong as he was." They answered.

"A bit crueler than Boros, but they do seem similar." He said as he looked towards the ceiling "It's honestly hard to believe that he's actually dead, I never thought such a time would come..." He admitted.

"That's how I felt about the Sea King, but then Saitama just killed him a single punch of course, almost like he was just swatting a fly." They replied.

"Don't you find that strange though?" He asked as he looked back to them "We were forced to endure the rule of tyrants, and yet here is this seemingly normal human being who can destroy anything he comes across in a single punch, how is that even possible?" He continued as he crossed two of his tendrils "And another thing, how is it that HE has so much power and no one else? I mean sure I'm the supreme telekinetic power of the universe, and Tatsumaki is powerful too, but then you have this guy who just seems to be the strongest being in the whole universe who did barely anything to obtain such power." He pointed out.

Taking a moment to think about their response, Kaemon did agree that Saitama being this normal guy yet having so much power was pretty weird, but thinking on what kind of person he was made coming up with something to say pretty easy.

"Well...the way I see it he deserves to be that powerful." They admitted as they put a hand to their chin "When I think about Sea King and how horrible he was, he was always trying to show off and prove how amazing he was to everything around him, but then you have Saitama and while he is the strongest person in the world he still just lives in a normal apartment and is a pretty normal guy." They explained.

"So because he isn't trying to be powerful that's what makes him deserving of such power?" Geryuganshoop questioned.

"I guess? but I think it's more like that because he doesn't want to hurt people, or conquer things, or be a bad person that he has such power, because he won't misuse it or anything." They replied.

Taking a moment of his own to think about what Kaemon had said, Geryuganshoop found the notion they presented pretty interesting, that power was given based on one's desire to obtain it, as well as what they desired to do with it once they had it. But before he was able to think any more on it, Kaemon decided the best way to lighten the mood and make Geryuganshoop feel more relaxed and at ease with all that had happened would be to turn on the television and watch whatever seemed good. And to be fair that wasn't a bad idea, since most of his time had been spent hiding away in a room he'd gotten accustomed to most of earth's television programs and found many of them to be quite entertaining while the others were either interesting or unusual. Unfortunately for the both of them, the moment the television came on and Kaemon had flipped through a few of the channels, they came across a news network that was broadcasting live from City J, and what was on the screen was enough to send chills down both of their spines.

"Association Officials are still unsure themselves as to where the creature originated from as well as why it is currently rampaging through the city, however besides the beast's display of unbridled blood lust and carnage, it is clear that the strength it possesses far exceeds that of any B or A class hero, as so far all heroes who have arrived on scene to try and deal with it have been swatted away like flies or have simply been unable to do anything to the creature in the way of harm or deterrence." The female reporter on screen explained as she and her crew were standing a good few miles outside of the city, and yet despite this many explosions and signs of conflict could be seen clear as day happening behind them.

However, what had shocked Kaemon and Geryuganshoop wasn't the fact that there was a monster rampaging through City J, but rather the image the news crew had of the creature which they had displayed on screen. Though blurred and not showing it in the clearest of picture, it was still easily seen that this monster was nothing like either Kaemon or Geryuganshoop had ever seen before, from it's intimidating massive size to how it's form seemed to be some kind of twisted amalgamation of flesh and metal, even just this single blurred image of the horror was enough to disgust and unsettle them.

"Whoa...what is that thing?..." Kaemon asked as they had never seen anything like it.

"It looks like it could be a cyborg." Geryuganshoop answered as he put a tendril to his chin "Though it's not like any I've ever seen, then again you humans don't really seem to have the best handle on such things yet, so it makes sense why it looks so...disturbing..." He explained.

"Well disturbing or not I need to go tell Saitama about it!" They exclaimed as they hopped off the bed and headed to the door.

"Why do you need to tell Saitama about this?" He asked them as he looked towards them.

"You heard what the news lady said, it's too strong for B and A class heroes, only an S class can handle it!" They answered before hurrying out the door.

Looking back to the television after that response, Geryuganshoop watched as more destruction could be seen happening in the city behind the reporter, and even though he wasn't a hero nor had any obligation to do anything, he couldn't keep an uneasy feeling from building up inside of him.

 _"Even if Kaemon tells Saitama and the others about it, there's no way any of them except for Tatsumaki will make it there in time."_ He thought to himself as he looked towards the window, which was still hidden by curtains _"There's no telling how much more it'll destroy before they arrive either, or if it'll leave the city and go after the people nearby..."_ He continued to ponder as he slowly got up from the bed and moved his tendrils to the floor _"I'm not a hero, but maybe I can do something."_ He reasoned.

And so, within but a fraction of a second the curtains were pulled away, the window was opened, and Geryuganshoop was gone from the room, leaving the television on to continue showing the monster's destruction.

* * *

 _Thirty Minutes Prior..._

 _Limbo, a word commonly used to describe or depict a state of being where one's soul or spirit is trapped within a hell of it's own making, to be caught within one's own memories and sins and to been shown them endlessly as though it were a sentence given to them for the life they had lived. Now most would think that reliving one's memories and life wouldn't be any kind of torture whatsoever, for if someone even if they should be a vile and evil soul who committed the most horrific of acts enjoyed what they had done, they would take pleasure in seeing these events replaying again and again would they not? But what if the limbo one was to find themselves within was a limbo not of their own making, but rather a prison crafted for them by an outside force that they could not control or keep from doing so. And what if this prison crafted for them was greater than any hell or torture one could ever hope to conceive, a never ending torment that numbed one's mind and soul rendering all thoughts and emotions meaningless and pointless._

 _This was the state that the once mighty Sea King found himself in, for after his encounter with One Punch Man he was embraced by death, and while it was alarming at first as it always is, it was cold yet comforting as it beckoned his soul from his mortal form to whatever the afterlife had in store for him. But just as he was about to pass on and receive whatever bounty or penance that awaited him, the cold of death's touch was replaced by a familiar warmth, soon followed by the feeling of being in control of a body once more. Though as this warmth continued to wash over him and he could slowly feel things like arms and legs return to him, it was soon met with the feeling of excruciating pain and agony as the flesh that was returning was being torn and ripped away at as though he was being mauled. Wanting to scream and thrash about in response to such horrible pain he found he was unable to despite knowing very well he had his limbs again, but as a few more minutes passed by he would have his eyes open for the first time since this whole experience began, and what awaited his gaze was anything but welcoming._

 _Standing over him was a human male wearing some kind of clothing he'd never seen before, and while that in of itself was alarming it was the look on the human's face that was the most distressing. A twisted grin lacking any semblance of sanity or compassion was plastered across his face, and once he noticed that he was being stared at his eyes focused themselves on Sea King's own, before he then opened his mouth to speak. And what came from that human's mouth was more frightening than anything Sea King had experienced in his entire life._

 _"It appears you've awoken, that's good." The Human spoke as he used one of his hands to keep his glasses pushed up on his face "To be honest I was beginning to think you'd be asleep for all of this, which was very disappointing." He admitted as leaned ever so slightly closer, his grin becoming a slight big bigger as well "You don't know who I am, but I know who you are and what you have done, you think that just because you're some abomination of nature that you can do as you please to MY creations?" He questioned as he moved even closer as to whisper into his ear "Well don't you worry, I plan to show you EXACTLY what I think of you and what you've done, trust me when I say that before I've even made a fourth of the progress on you that I plan to do, you will be begging me to kill you." He told him before he moved himself back into an upright position "Now then, shall we continue?" He asked as he pushed his glasses up once more._

 _For the next several hours Sea King though seemingly lifeless and void of any reaction to what was being done to him was screaming in anguish within, and while at first he spouted curses and threats to which the human could not hear, it soon devolved into nothing but cries and even slight whimpers for mercy. But after so much time had passed by the human had finally set his tools down and seemed to be resting, his clothes, hands, and even face covered in a combination of blood and sweat, yet even so he still had that ghastly grin present. At first it seemed as though his torment had finally come to an end, and whatever the human had planned was either through or was simply done for the time being, but as he rose from his seat and walked behind the table which Sea King laid upon, it quickly became apparent that it was only just beginning. For instead of cleaning himself off or even taking leave of whatever room they were in, the human placed his hands on the table and began to push it with ease out of the room and into a hallway, which was lit barely by somewhat dim lights that were spaced a good deal of distance from each other._

 _After a few minutes passed by of just walking they reached a new room that wasn't like anything Sea King had seen before, it was much smaller than a normal room and it seemed to have some kind of panel with buttons on it which controlled it. Watching as the human pressed one button at the very bottom of the panel it would only take a few seconds before the room stopped moving and the two doors which kept them inside opened, allowing them to exit. Being pushed out of that room they were now moving into yet another room, though this one was vastly different than the other in terms of size._

 _"This is where you'll be staying from now on." The Human told him as they came to a stop in the center of the room "From here you will be subjected to the worst I have to offer, whether it be newfound chemical agents or perhaps something more mechanical, your life from this point onward is nothing more than a playground for my most inhumane experiments." He explained as he looked down at him, his grin now being replaced by a small proud smile "And don't worry, after enough time has passed by I'm sure whatever bit of you remains in there will be erased from all of the pain you'll endure." He said before taking his leave._

 _Hearing his footsteps disappear behind a massive door which closed not too long after, Sea King was left alone on that table in complete silence, only being interrupted whenever the human returned. The first few times he came back were just to mutilate him further, sometimes the human would show him his own entrails or body parts as he did whatever he pleased to his form, the rest he'd simply do something to his body, take a step back, and watch what kind of effect it would have on his flesh. But then one day, after he had been gone for what Sea King guessed was days or even a week, he returned but not alone. This new person wasn't like anything Sea King had seen before, there was no sign of any flesh only metal, and every time the human spoke to it it seemed like he wasn't speaking to it directly but someone else._

 _As to why the human had brought company with him this time would show only to be ever more horrid than what he had endured thus far, for the two of them began to twist and contort his body in ways he'd never believe possible, adding and removing things that they saw necessary which brought him more pain. But in addition to this newfound reconstruction of his body they began burning and stabbing things into him, and after a while he began to move and act but none of which was of his own doing. Whatever they had done to him had taken away any control he might've had over himself previously, now he was nothing more than a puppet moving and doing anything they wanted him to. Of course he tried to fight against this control, he struggled within trying to break free and lash out against his tormentors, but with each attempt he was met with the worst pain he had felt thus far, a pain so great and so powerful that what remained of his mind slowly began to crumble away._

 _The memories of who he once was, where he once ruled, how he came to be in this situation, after so much pain his thoughts and emotions had been reduced to basic rage and screams, no longer any signs of sentience or life. Yet with his identity and who he was once now lost and he being rendered to nothing but a husk doing as his masters commanded, there was still one desire present in his form which regardless of how much of him was lost he would pursue to the end of his days. To be free of this pain that accompanied his life, to be free regardless if it meant dying or not of this unbearable agony that had consumed his very soul. And after having being disabled by his masters not too long ago, he found himself being awoken once more to a burning sensation coursing throughout his body, and a direction to which he could go to make it end._

 _This is how he came to rise from his slumber and move with heavy steps to City J, where he would tear the whole city apart to it's smallest pieces if it meant making this burning stop._

* * *

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!" The Creature roared as it smashed it's fists into a building, only to grab pieces of the rubble and toss them at other nearby structures.

For nearly forty five minutes the monster had rampaged through City J, yet despite this it seemed as though there was no method to it's madness. Now some would say that would make sense given it was just a mindless horror, but unlike any monster anyone had ever seen before it had no clear path of destruction and all of it's actions seemed random, almost as if it weren't even thinking. But the truth is the creature was thinking, as much as it was able to anyways, for while everyone who watched on simply saw this hulking abomination tearing apart the city, it was a much different story from it's perspective. Everywhere it looked all it saw was a raging inferno of vibrant red and orange flames, for as time continued to pass the pain within it's being only worsened causing it greater agony.

 _"Make...stop..."_ It thought though struggling even then to form words in it's mind as it continued to destroy everything around itself.

Unknown to the creature however, while it seemed as though every citizen of the city was long gone and every non S class hero on sight had also taken their leave, not too far away on top of a roof was the C class hero Mumen Rider, who observed it through a pair of binoculars.

"There's no way I could even get close to it..." He said beneath his breath as he watched on "I want to try and help but I'd be dead in an instant if I approached it."

"Then why are you even here to begin with?" A voice suddenly asked from behind him.

Turning around quickly as he hadn't expected someone to sneak up behind him, Mumen Rider was shocked even further when he saw what was standing before him. Standing at an incredibly intimidating height, which he roughly guessed was somewhere around twenty feet, was as best as he could describe a dark blue octopus with perfectly white eyes and an unknown amount of appendages.

"Stop." It spoke as it raised one of it's tentacles to keep him from speaking "Before you freak out I'm here to help, not to cause trouble." It told him as it lowered the tentacle back down to the ground.

"What are you?" Mumen Rider asked.

"I'm an octopus." It answered as it hovered to his side "As for how I'm a talking octopus we can address that later, right now we need to be focusing on the thing that is currently destroying the city." It told him as it held out one of it's tentacles "Can I see those for a moment?" It asked.

"Oh, uh sure." Mumen Rider replied as he as handed his binoculars over.

Taking them from his hand and raising them to it's eyes, what the octopus saw when it looked directly at the creature caused it for a brief moment to freeze. Starting with the obvious it's form was grotesque and horrid, from it's feet to it's head it had metal joints and mechanical parts protruding from the flesh, though they seemed to be added in a careful and mindful way, it didn't make them any less sickening to look at. Then there were the finer details of it's being such as the nature of it's skin, it seemed to be covered in scales as if it were a reptile or fish of some kind, as for the color it looked as though it might've been green at some point but it was now discolored with blotches of yellow and red as to show exactly where infections or inflamed parts of it's body were present. Furthermore it stood well beyond the height of most buildings nearly being three stories tall in total, and it's arms and legs seemed to be extended in length as well due to the application of mechanical additions such as metal claws and nails that stuck out from it's toes and fingers.

But the most eye catching detail of this monstrosity was it's head, though it's eyes and certain parts of the skull supported the notion that at one point it was a fish or reptile, it was when you looked to where it's jaw would be that you would find a completely metal set of fangs which resembled a bear trap gruesomely fused to it's flesh, only opening when the creature roared or screamed.

"It's even more disgusting when you get a good look at it." The Octopus commented as it handed the binoculars back to Mumen Rider, a matching look of disgust present on it's face.

"Yeah it's pretty disturbing." He agreed as he looked towards the other "So what's the plan?" He asked.

"The plan is that I'm going to go and deal with this thing before it can destroy anything else." The Octopus answered before it looked to him while pointing a tentacle at his feet "You are going to stay right here and away from the fight." It told him as it looked back to the creature.

Watching in amazement as the octopus's body was suddenly covered in a bright white light, it then somehow managed to lift itself into the air before it then flew away from the rooftop towards the creature.

 _"...I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT WORKED!"_ The Octopus thought in disbelief with widened eyes as it flew through the air.

* * *

 _A Few Moments Prior..._

 _"Alright, so what am I going to do?" Geryuganshoop asked aloud to himself as he flew towards City J._

 _Even though he wasn't having doubts of going to stop this monster from tearing apart the city, Geryuganshoop was uncertain as to how he was going to explain to anyone who should encounter him what he was and why he was there._

 _"I can't say that I'm a hero because I'm not registered with the association." He said as he held out a tendril to keep track of his thoughts "And I can't say I'm an alien because then they'll just assume I was on the ship, which I was but despite not having proof they'd just assume it and I'd be in trouble anyways." He reasoned as he held out another tendril "...You know...maybe they would believe that I actually am an octopus." He suggested as he looked down at himself briefly, only to then shake his head dismissively "Nah, there's no way anyone would buy that." He decided as he soon reached the city._

 _Flying to the tallest building he could immediately see Geryuganshoop stopped at the very top as to see where the creature was exactly, which of course didn't take but a few seconds._

 _"There it is." He said as he could clear as day see the monster rampaging about through the city "Luckily there doesn't seem to be anyone around, I might be able to do this without getting noticed." He hoped as he prepared to take to off._

 _But just as he was about to fly off of the roof and towards the creature, he noticed that up the street from where it was rampaging there was a human wearing some kind of armor watching it through a pair of binoculars on the roof of a building._

 _"Oh great." He said with a sigh as he turned around and focused on the human "That guy must a hero or something, and if I go and fight the creature he's definitely going to see it."_

 _Taking a moment to look between the human and the creature, even though he just wanted to hurry up and get this over with he knew that if he didn't confront the human first it would only mean trouble for him later._

 _"Well...here's hoping he thinks I'm an octopus..." He said with one final sigh before he flew from the roof towards the building._

* * *

"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!" The Creature roared violently as it smashed the ground with it's fists.

Even with it's clear strength and unstoppable nature, Geryuganshoop was certain that it would take little no actual effort in order to bring the monster down, which is exactly why he landed on the ground a few feet behind it as to gain it's attention.

"Excuse me." He spoke hoping that would be enough, to which it wasn't "Alright, guess I'll have to use telepathy then." He decided as he closed his eyes to focus _" **Excuse m-** "_

The moment Geryuganshoop attempted to speak to it through it's mind he found himself wincing in pain, as the feedback he received was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

 _"WHAT THE HELL?!"_ He thought as he put two tendrils on his head _"It's like there's an explosion going on inside that things head!"_

Unfortunately he wouldn't be able to think about it for too long, as the attempt alone to speak to it through it's mind had actually gained it's attention, causing it to turn around and look at him. But instead of simply standing there out of confusion or perhaps to try and converse with him, it chose to pick up a nearby car and try to smash it down on top of him. Or at least it would've, but the moment the car was but a few inches away from him Geryuganshoop simply stopped it with ease before tossing it to the side, which miraculously surprised the creature.

"No wonder you're so pissed off..." He mumbled beneath his breath as he returned to an upright position "I'd be angry too if that was what was going on inside of my head." He admitted.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!" The Creature roared in response as it tried once more to smash him, this time with it's bare fist.

"Oh please." He scoffed as without even lifting a single tendril he moved the fist away causing it to hit the street instead "You can throw all the punches you want you're not going to land any." He told it.

This however didn't seem to register with the creature, for once it pulled it's fist back it began to unleash a rapid series of punches, all of which missed him completely.

"I can see there's no reasoning with you." He said with a sigh as he raised one of his tendrils "Perhaps this will get you to calm down." He suggested as he flipped it upwards.

Without any warning the creature was suddenly sent flying into the air at such a speed it rivaled a high powered jet. Watching as it continued to soar higher and higher until it was but a tiny spec in the sky, Geryuganshoop then sent it flying back down to the ground where upon contact a massive explosion occurred. But thanks to his telekinesis he not only kept any rubble from flying in every direction, but he also managed to repair the damage the impact made, excluding the crater the creature now rested in of course. Walking over slowly to the edge of the crater and looking down into it, Geryuganshoop could sense it was still alive but couldn't see it yet due to the dust and smoke that still present.

"Are you ready to talk hm?" He questioned as it began to clear.

However, much to his surprise once the crater was clear he found that where the creature should've been instead there was another hole indicating it had burrowed out. But before he could try and use his powers to locate it, it shot up from the ground behind him ready to punch.

"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!" It roared as it sent it's fist forward.

"Honestly, can you say anything else?" He asked as it's fist was stopped completely "Or is your entire vocabulary just sounds?" He added as he turned around to face it.

Watching as it struggled to move it did try to throw another punch with it's available fist, only to have it be stopped completely just as the other had. After that had been done he then using his powers forced the creature to it's knees followed by having it's fists be driven into the ground, rendering it in a kneeling position. Now with it completely at his mercy Geryuganshoop slowly approached it and placed a tendril on it's head as to try and read it's thoughts.

"Okay, let's give this another shot." He said to himself as he closed his eyes and made the connection.

Wincing immediately as that same horrid feeling from before hit him like a crashing wave, he did his best to focus on finding the creature's thoughts through this interference. Slowly but surely he began to block it out until all that was left was to explore it's mind for anything he could maybe see or communicate with, but as he searched the only thing he found was one sentence repeating endlessly.

 _"Please...kill me...I want to die...please...kill me...it hurts so much...please...make it stop...please...please..."_

Remaining in it's mind for a few seconds more to see if there was anything else he could find, once he was certain that was all there was he pulled his tendril away and ended the connection.

"You're suffering." He said as he opened his eyes and looked at it's face "Whoever did this to you wanted you to beg for death."

Though it was still quite savage and it would lash out should he release it, Geryuganshoop could see amidst all of that unbridled rage and pain that it was feeling, it did seem to understand what he was saying.

"Don't worry." He said as he moved back about a foot or so "I'll make sure this is painless." He promised as his eyes began to glow.

Suddenly screaming out more violently than it had been so far, the creature did it's best to break free of his grasp as something seemed to be happening. But alas, before it could even make any worthwhile attempt at getting free, it's entire body was suddenly pulled apart in every direction causing blood, flesh, metal, and bone to fly out everywhere. Feeling a bit of pride at how he was able to free the monster from it's own suffering, just as Geryuganshoop turned around as to take his leave and head back to the resort. That is, until the countless bits and pieces of the creature suddenly all flew back to where it's body once was, and in a matter of seconds was completely reformed.

"Huh?" He sounded as he turned back around to see what the commotion was.

Unfortunately for the blue clad alien, before he could register what had happened the creature sent forth a fist in his direction, and with his guard having been down it not only landed but sent him flying down the street and through multiple buildings.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!" It roared violently in triumph as it bashed it's fists together.

Barely even able to move his head after that Geryuganshoop tried to look around him to see where he had landed, only to find that his vision was blurred beyond belief. Then as he tried to move he found his entire body was numb, almost as if the blow had damaged his nerves in some way.

 _"H-How is that possible?..."_ He thought as he tried to get himself together _"T-The only person who could recover from an attack like that was B-Boros..."_

Sadly for the extraterrestrial, before he could get even a small bit of feeling back to any of his tendrils the front of the building he had landed in was suddenly torn away by the creature, as it seemed it was not yet done with him. Reaching into the space and pulling him out from within, it grabbed onto his tendrils with one hand while the other his upper body, and then it proceeded to pull them apart.

 _"NO WAIT STOP!"_ He mentally cried out in panic, trying his best to use his powers or anything else to stop it.

However, because of the blow his head was injured meaning he couldn't use his esp, and so that meant there was nothing he could do as the creature slowly ripped one tendril after the other from his body, causing him to scream out in pain. But just as it seemed this would be his end, not by the hands or Boros or even a hero of this world but an unknown monster, the creature was sent flying through the very same building he had just been pulled from, while he was kept in the air by a familiar green aura.

"GERYUGANSHOOP!?" Tatsumaki's voice called out as she soon appeared beside him "What the hell are you doing?!" She questioned as she looked down at his beaten form.

 _" **Tatsumaki...** " _Geryuganshoop tried to speak via telepathy, as the pain was far too much for him to speak.

Flying them both over to a nearby building she gently set him down on the rooftop before unleashing a torrent of insults.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT!?" She asked as she stared down at him with hate filled eyes "WHY did you come here? Kaemon came and told us about the monster and we were on our way to deal with it, so why would you be so stupid as to come here by yourself?!" She questioned angrily.

 _" **I-I just wanted to help...** " _He told her, only making her more enraged.

"Oh yeah great help you were! you nearly got yourself killed!" She replied before she was covered in her green aura "Now I have to make sure you don't die before I deal with that freak, GOD why were you so stupid?!" She asked as she got to work mending his wounds.

Though unable to heal him or really treat his wound effectively, she was able to at the very least stop the bleeding and close off some of the wounds.

"There, that should keep you alive until I'm done with this." She told him before she turned her back to him "Don't you even THINK about dying before I'm done, I'm still pissed at you!" She warned before she flew off of the roof.

Watching as she disappeared from view to no doubt go and deal with the monster, Geryuganshoop couldn't keep a small smile from appearing on his face.

 _"Good Talk..."_ He thought jokingly as he closed his eyes and began to rest.

Though she had already been annoyed and pissed of before hand since she had to leave the resort in order to deal with this, now that Geryuganshoop had been injured her anger level had gone from ten to beyond measurable, though she of course would never admit that.

"Alright freakzilla, let's get this over with." She said with her arms crossed over her chest, wanting nothing more than to splatter this thing across the pavement.

Waiting for the creature to emerge from the building she had flung it into, it would only be a few more seconds before she could see it's face as it climbed out.

"Ugh, you really are a disgusting freak aren't you?" She asked as she raised her hand "No matter, you'll die horribly either way." She said as she flicked her hand down.

Suddenly the creature was sent flying downward into the earth, and it would only stop moving once it had reached the planet's molten core. Crashing into the searing heat of the magma and feeling it's body rapidly burn away, it was then pulled back up through the ground to the surface, where it would find itself high in the sky.

"Again." She said to herself as she sent it flying back down into the earth towards the core.

This would go on for nearly five minutes as she continuously sent it back and forth back and forth from the core to the sky, but after doing this over and over again and seeing no clear sign that it was dying, she realized she would have to take a different approach.

"Fine, we'll do something else." She said with a bit of annoyance as she brought the creature to the ground and kept it pinned.

Lowering herself until she was just hovering above it, she began to slowly pull apart it's body starting with it's fingers and toes, then it's legs and arms, and finally it's torso and head.

"How does this feel hm?" She asked as she peeled away every bit of muscle and metal from it's body, as though she was peeling a fruit "Feel helpless yet?" She asked admittedly amused.

Continuing to do this until every bit of the creature was being kept separate by her esp, she then lifted all of the pieces into the air before sending them flying out in every direction.

"There." She spoke as she dusted her hands off, even though she hadn't actually touched it "That's the end of that." She said as she flew back up to where Geryuganshoop was resting.

Looking down at him once she got there she could see he had fallen asleep as she was dealing with the monster, and while it did make her happy that he wasn't dead, (though again she'd never admit that to anyone), she was still angry and annoyed that he allowed himself to get injured like this.

"Great." She spoke with a sigh as she lifted him from the rooftop "Now you're going to be laying on my couch even more, I hope you're happy with yourself." She said, even though he couldn't hear her.

With her alien friend in tow Tatsumaki took to the sky and flew away from City J, deciding to first stop by her apartment as to drop Geryuganshoop off before she went back to the resort. Meanwhile back within City J, Mumen Rider was still on the rooftop and had seen everything transpire through his binoculars.

"Whoa..." He said as he slowly lowered them from his eyes "I wonder if Saitama knows the octopus?" He wondered, as he knew Tatsumaki and him knew each other.

* * *

Over the course of the next few hours a good deal of things happened, first there was the media circus that was bound to ensue after everything had been said and done, then there was the association that promised everyone they would investigate as to where the creature came from and why it attacked City J, after that Tatsumaki would finally return to the resort and receive a good deal of praise from the other S class heroes for a job well done as well as the "show" she put on with how she disposed the creature, finally to wrap this crazy and insane day up she would go on to tell Saitama, Fubuki, and Kaemon what had happened with Geryuganshoop and how he was now resting back at her place.

Though the sudden attack of this monster was of course unexpected and surprising, it didn't result in any loss of life nor in damages that were too severe, and while it was too early to know if anyone had caught any glimpse of Geryuganshoop during that whole mess, they figured if someone had seen something they'd come to deal with it in time. And who knows, if anyone did see him fighting the creature it would make introducing him to the world as a hero all the more easy, they could even say that he was a sidekick to Tatsumaki or something similar which everyone would believe, mostly because no one would be willing to dispute Tatsumaki on the matter. For it's not like anyone who would question it even saw it, given that all of the reporters were outside of the city, so that was probably something they didn't even need to worry about.

* * *

"What're you thinking doctor?" Metal Knight asked, as both his robot and Doctor Genus were reviewing the footage from the attack.

Among the many things they had implanted within the creature's body they had added cameras to both of it's eyes, so that way they could see exactly how it performed against One Punch Man. And while it was unfortunate that he hadn't shown but instead Tornado, something far more interesting had happened during it's rampage,

"Honestly, I don't know." Doctor Genus admitted as he put his hands into his pockets "I've never seen a creature like it before, it's body is something that goes beyond anything I know in terms of biology." He explained.

"Could it be an alien from the ship?" Metal Knight suggested.

"Possibly, but how did it escape us? let alone survive the battle between One Punch Man and Boros?" Doctor Genus asked.

"That is something we'll have to look into surely." Metal Knight responded as his robot turned around "But right now we have a far greater issue at hand."

"Yes the specimen's remains." Doctor Genus replied as he too turned around "Your robots were able to find nearly every piece of it that Tornado had sent flying, all except for one." He noted.

"My drones are still looking for the head as we speak, but given that my predicted trajectories for the other pieces were spot on and we secured all of them, we might have to face the possibility that it was able to regenerate a new body." Metal Knight explained.

"Which wouldn't be impossible given we introduced some of Boros's genetics into it's own." Doctor Genus replied as he put a hand to his chin "But even if it did regenerate a new body, it wouldn't have any of the mechanical components that we added, it would be completely new." He noted.

"Do you think it will cause anymore trouble?" Metal Knight asked.

"I don't think so, the whole purpose for it's destruction was in response to the pain we were causing it, but without any of our additions it wouldn't feel that pain at all." Doctor Genus answered.

"So then that just leaves it to wander around then." Metal Knight reasoned.

"Yes, a newfound life with a brand new body and no knowledge of what it is, where it comes from, or what it used to be." Doctor Genus replied as a small smile came to his face "How ironic, the once great Sea King was reborn after all, but whatever is currently wandering around in the wilderness is no long Sea King, but something entirely new."

"I'll find it soon enough" Metal Knight assured as his robot began to walk away "I'll contact you when I do." He added.

"Very well, good night Metal Knight." Doctor Genus said as the other took his leave.

Looking back to his monitor with his hands now behind his back, Doctor Genus was left alone to his thoughts on this newly discovered creature, as well as the one that was currently roaming around somewhere.

* * *

Hasted footsteps ran through the brush of the woods as a creature panicked and afraid tried to make sense of what was happening, it didn't know where it was, what it was, why it was there, or what it was going to do, and so it just ran without direction or care in whatever direction it saw fit, hoping to find some answer to what was happening.


	55. The Heroes Retreat: The End Aftermath

After the attack on City J not much else happened after in terms of insanity, the rest of the retreat for the S class heroes went as one would've expected, though mostly because the threat of having the trip be ended early by Metal Knight was also a good motivator to mind one's behavior. For the remainder of the week everyone did what normal people do on vacation, they relaxed, played games, spent some time at the spa, and so on so forth, all in all it was everything they could've hoped for. Then when the time came to bid the resort farewell and for them to all return to their homes and wait for when they would be needed again, they all said their goodbyes before heading out to begin another week of their everyday lives. All except for Bang however, for while he did enjoy his time at the resort he thought that a proper end to their relaxation would be if they all came by his dojo for a home cooked meal, nothing too fancy or over the top like the resort's dining experience had been.

Unfortunately for the martial arts master nearly every member of S class had to decline, some of them such as Metal Bat and Zombieman had other things they needed to do once the trip was over, then there was Watchdog man and Atomic Samurai who felt they needed to return to their routines whether it be patrolling or training. But luckily there were some members of S class who thought the idea was a good one such as King and Saitama, though the latter just didn't see the point in turning down free food. And it's thanks to their inclusion that Genos, Tatsumaki, Fubuki, and even Mutsuko all agreed to join as well, Kaemon would've also liked to come but after all the time they spent at the resort, they honestly just wanted to go back home and be around their stuff.

* * *

"So this is where Bang lives?" Saitama asked as he stared up at the dojo.

In most depictions of ancient Japanese or Asian cultures in general where there is a place of learning or wisdom, it is not unheard of for them to be placed at the top of a hill or mountain with a long staircase leading up to them. And while this can not be applied for every dojo, school, temple, and so forth to ever have been constructed, this is applicable to Bang's dojo despite being near city Z. For instead of just one or maybe even two flights of stairs leading up to the dojo, there was one long strip of stairs leading up the side of a mountain which is where the dojo resided. Now for S class heroes such as Saitama and Tatsumaki climbing these stairs was basically nothing, especially since either of them could just skip the stairs all together if Saitama chose to jump or Tatsumaki chose to fly to the top.

Though the same could easily be said for Mutsuko and Genos too, as with Genos being a cyborg he could either walk or run up those stairs without getting winded, and Mutsuko of course could just fly up there alongside Tatsumaki. It was Fubuki and King who were dreading the climb to the top the most, as though they were both strong and power in their own respects, Fubuki couldn't fly in the air like her sister and King was still a normal guy, and while they could try and ask the green haired esper if she would fly them up there with her, they knew the likelihood of that happening was slim to none.

"Has to be, who else would live in a dojo on a mountain?" Tatsumaki asked rhetorically with her arms crossed, seeming to be slightly annoyed.

"Are his students supposed to make this climb everyday?" King asked a bit amazed, for while he did have a daily training regime it was nowhere near as extreme as this.

"It does seem a bit excessive doesn't it?" Fubuki asked as she too thought the effort required to go both up and down after a class of martial arts was a bit much.

"Oh quit your whining you two." Tatsumaki scolded as she looked to them with a glare "You're an S class hero King and you could easily be one too Fubuki, so a bunch of stairs shouldn't worry you so much." She told them.

"Are we just gonna stand here and talk or are we going to go get some free food?" Mutsuko asked as she was just wanting to get the meal they were promised.

"I'm with Mutsuko, let's just head on up." Saitama agreed as he climbed the first step.

Ascending the staircase with Genos right beside him, Tatsumaki and Mutsuko doing the obvious by going into the sky and flying to the top, leaving Fubuki and King by themselves.

"They're just stairs, nothing to be so nervous about." King said as he continued to stare at them.

"Pfft, of course not, we've faced a lot worse than this." Fubuki replied as she too stared.

Breathing a heavy sigh both heroes followed after their friends and climbed the stairs. It wouldn't take very long for them all to reach the top with Fubuki and King of course being last, and while they weren't sweating buckets as though they were out of shape, they still needed a moment to catch their breathes and give their legs a break.

"Honestly, you two are sad sometimes." Tatsumaki told them with a disapproving shake of her head.

"Easy for you to say, seeing as how you barely walk at all." King replied, which instantly set her off.

"What was that wheezy?!" She asked ready to pick a fight right then and there.

Thankfully before anymore words or even blows could be traded, Saitama had already knocked on the dojo's door and within seconds it was opened. Though instead of Bang being the one to answer, instead it was some teenager wearing a pure white Karategi and belt, though the most jarring thing about him was the shaggy unkempt looking orange hair that he had.

"Greetings, I am Charanko the top disciple to master Bang, it is an honor to meet you." He greeted as he then bowed before them.

"Uh...Hi." Saitama replied, finding the other's greeting to be a little awkward.

"Please come in." Charanko said as he straightened himself and stepped aside.

Walking into the dojo everyone even Tatsumaki was impressed by how it looked, though not gaudy or filled to the brim with trophies or other signs of prestige, it was well kept and looked about as proper of a school for martial arts as anyone could hope for.

"Oh wow!" Mutsuko exclaimed as Charanko closed the door behind them "I feel like we're in some kind of movie!"

"It does kinda look like the dojos from martial arts movies huh?" King asked.

"Except the kind of martial arts taught here is actually real, and not just some stunt guy who knows a few moves." Tatsumaki replied.

"You do know that actual martial artists are in those movies too right?" King asked.

"Then why are they wasting their time with movies when they could be heroes instead hm?" She argued.

Just like before, right when it seemed like they were about to go at one another one of the doors at the back wall opened, followed by Bang stepping out.

"Ah, glad to see you all could make it." He said as he walked over with his hands behind his back.

"All except for Kaemon, they just wanted to stay in their apartment." Saitama replied as the other reached them "So where's the food?" He asked.

"It'll be done momentarily, though speaking of which could you go and see how it's coming along Charanko?" Bang asked as he looked to his student.

"Yes master!" He exclaimed before leaving through the same door Bang had entered, closing it as he went.

"So Bang, are all of your students going to be joining us?" Fubuki asked as she looked around "Or is it just your top disciple?"

"Unfortunately Charanko is my only remaining student." Bang replied as he closed his eyes "The rest of them are either out of commission or are too scared to come back." He explained.

"Whoa, is your training that intense?" Saitama asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, if it was that bad then he wouldn't have any students to begin with." Tatsumaki reasoned.

"It's because of one particular student." Bang spoke as to keep them from speaking "He was the best disciple I had, unfortunately despite what I taught him he sought to prove his strength through violence."

"That is why some of your students are out of commission." Genos noted, earning a nod from the other.

"Exactly, he beat them so badly that it'll be a long time before they can even move again, that scared off the rest of my students from ever coming back, understandable but unfortunate." Bang explained.

"This guy sounds like a jerk." Mutsuko said with her arms crossed "Who is this big bad tough guy?" She asked.

"Garou." He answered simply as he closed his eyes once more "He had such potential to be a great martial artist, but after what he did I gave him a good beating and expelled him." He recounted.

"Wow, you must pack a mean punch old man." Saitama complimented causing the other to smile.

"Perhaps if you'd take me up on my offer to teach you, you'd get to see how mean it really is." He replied.

"Nah, why learn martial arts when I can just punch everything?" Saitama asked, earning a small chuckle in response.

"True, but if you learned some actual techniques you could make yourself even stronger." Bang argued.

"Oooooooh no." Tatsumaki interrupted as she stepped between them "We do NOT need chrome dome to get any stronger than he is." She said.

"I'll second that." King agreed while raising his hand "Not that seeing Saitama do martial arts wouldn't be cool and all, but I'm still trying to catch up to how he is now."

"Likewise." Genos agreed also "I've barely begun my training to be as strong as him."

"I'm still just trying to be as strong as Tatsumaki." Fubuki said with a sigh.

"Aw don't worry Fubuki!" Mutsuko chimed in as she put her arm around her shoulder "We can get stronger together!"

"Oh great, another weakling to hold my sister back." Tatsumaki said with an eye roll earning a glare from the other.

Back and forth they all chatted as they waited for the food to be done, and when it was eventually ready they all sat around continuing to converse and just have a good time. And so, with platters filled to the brim with hot delicious food and good company to be had all around, it seemed like the final send off to their time off as heroes was as good as any of them could've hoped for.

* * *

"Aaaaaaaand I'm bored." Kaemon groaned as they laid on their bed.

Even though they were glad to be home and be surrounded by all of their stuff, Kaemon hadn't considered how boring things might be without Saitama or anyone else around.

"Maybe I should've gone with'em to that old guy's dojo." They said as they turned on their side "At least then I'd get something to eat." They added with a sigh.

Trying to think of something that they could do to pass the time until the others got back, they soon would hear footsteps outside of their door which got their attention.

"Are they back already?" They asked as they got up and opened their door.

Taking a quick look outside to see who it was, they found none other than Mumen Rider standing in front of Saitama's door.

"Oh hey!" They greeted gaining the other's attention "It's you, Bicycle Guy!" They exclaimed as they stepped out from behind their door.

"Oh hello." Mumen Rider greeted with a slight wave "I was just coming by to talk to Saitama about something, is he home?" He asked.

"Nah, he's out having lunch with the old guy, you know the one who knows kung fu?" They asked.

"You mean Silver Fang?" He asked.

"Yeah that one." They replied as they leaned against the railing "So, what did you want to talk to him about?" They asked.

"Do you know about the attack on City J last week?" He asked.

"Yeah the one with the cyborg looking monster?" They replied.

"Mhm, well I went there to see if I could help, but when I saw that I couldn't I just sat back and waited for someone else to show up and deal with it, but instead of an S class hero some strange talking octopus appeared." He explained.

Upon hearing that description Kaemon immediately froze up, kinda like a deer in the headlights.

"O-Oh?" They stuttered trying to keep their cool "T-That sounds weird, are you sure you weren't seeing things?" They asked.

"Nope, it even talked to me." He answered causing them to jump a little.

"U-Uh huh..." They trailed off as they looked off to the side "S-So why're you wanting to talk to Saitama about it?" They asked.

"Because Tornado showed up and took it away with her." He answered causing them to jump a little once more "I figured if she knew what it was then he would too." He explained.

Feeling as though they were pinned against a wall, even though he was interrogating them or even asking them any questions, Kaemon was trying desperately to think of a way they could change the topic.

"Anyway, I'll just stop by some other time when he's home." He said as he walked passed them "Tell him I stopped by will ya?"

"Y-Yeah sure..." They replied as they waited for him to be out of hearing range before they released a sigh of relief "WOW that was close..." They breathed as they wiped a hand across their forehead "Almost lost my cool." They said as they headed back inside.

With that awkward exchange over with, Kaemon was actually looking forward to just laying about on their bed some more while Mumen Rider got on his bike and headed out for patrol.


	56. Punch Twenty

City M, like nearly every other city it had the basics, shopping centers, restaurants, parks, and etcetera to keep it's populace entertained and happy. But unlike most Cities this one in particular had a big name S class hero to not only draw in tourists, but to also keep the populace excited and happy to be living there. Now there were some examples such as this one, whether it be Watchdog Man or the world's strongest hero One Punch Man, it was safe to say that in terms of popularity he was right behind Saitama at a solid second place spot. And this was honestly for a good number of reasons to be fair, not only was it due to his S class status but it was also how he treated people, unlike most S class heroes who barely interact with the populace and in some instances can be pretty full of themselves, this hero was humble, kind, and helpful even when it wasn't a massive threat, all in all he was a stand up guy.

But it admittedly also had to do with the fact he was known as One Punch Man's sidekick, though anyone who actually had their facts checked would know he wasn't just some tacked on addition to the caped baldy's visage, he was one of his best friends and closest allies. If somehow you haven't figured out who this amazing center of attention was who lives in City M, it was none other than the S class hero known simply as King. And even though he was nowhere near as strong or amazing as One Punch Man, though to be fair no one else is really, he still could hold his own against a villain or two and rise to the occasion when someone needed him. Unfortunately however this was quite rare, as due to his well known status as One Punch Man's "sidekick" very rarely did ANY crime at all happen in City M, as they not only dreaded dealing with the man who was so close to the world's strongest hero, but they also feared if they should fight him they would incur said strongest hero's wrath.

But this was not always the case of course, as someone would think themselves clever enough, strong enough, brave enough, or just quick enough to do whatever it is they wanted to do without getting caught by King. Such as right now, where in the middle of the city's shopping district a rather unusual man was causing trouble for the crowd of people minding their own business, unaware that one such person at the edge of the crowd was the very hero he needed to avoid.

"GYUHAHAHA!" The man chortled aloud as he lashed his long tentacle like tongue in the air in front of him "i AM THE MAN WHO LOVES REPTILES SO MUCH I TURNED INTO A REPTILE, TONGUE STRETCHER!" He exclaimed proudly as he focused his attention on one particular woman "YOU! BEAR MY CHILDREN!" He commanded as he sent his tongue forward in a spring coil like fashion "NONE OF YOU CHICKS WILL GET AWAY!" He added as he made fairly disgusting sounds to accompany his action.

"What the hell is that?!" A person questioned as they all watched in horror the scene unfold before them.

"Not even five grown men can subdue him!" Another exclaimed, as the very men who tried to stop him were on the ground exhausted.

"NOOOOOO!" The woman cried out in fear as she ran from him, tears falling from her eyes.

Just as it seemed this woman would be wrapped in this disturbed creature's grasp, his tongue was suddenly grabbed in mid flight which not only saved the woman but also caused him a good deal of pain.

"HEY!" He exclaimed angrily as he looked to see who dared to do such a thing "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU-" He began to say only to stop instantly the moment he saw who it was.

Although the man was now a half human half reptile hybrid and his blood cold just like that of a normal reptile's, he felt it and his body become freezing as a pair of glaring eyes stared right through him. Piercing like the finest daggers, intimidating like an angry predator, and powerful like a locomotive, the heart stopping glare currently fixed to his person belonged to none other than King. But while he could see that it was King immediately due to the situation he was now in, it took the crowd of bystanders a few seconds to be certain as to who their savior was, as King was wearing a hoodie and cap. Which to be fair he was known to do from time to time, in order to avoid commotion.

"Wait a minute, that's King!" A man exclaimed as smiles came to all of their faces.

"Yeah you're right it is him!" Another agreed as the crowd began to reform around the two of them.

"PLEASE KICK THAT DISGUSTING CREATURE'S ASS KING!" Someone shouted earning a resounding yeah from the crowd.

If his tongue was not being gripped by the other then the man would've surely dropped to his knees and tried to beg for mercy, but as King continued to just stand there with his appendage in his grip, the man feared that this would be his final moment on Earth. But thankfully King was not the kind of hero to kill someone for just being a jerk, though he was going to be certain he learned his lesson before this was over, hence why before he spoke he pulled the man towards him with his tongue, causing him a bit more pain and bringing him closer.

"Listen." He said as the other was but a few feet away now "I'm not going to kill you, but if you ever do something like this again I won't go easy on you, understand?" He asked.

"Y-Yesh, of course!" The man replied as countless beads of sweat trailed down his head.

"Good, now apologize to the woman you were about to assault, and we'll be done here." King told him as he pointed to her with his other hand.

"I-I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you miss!" The man apologized "A-And to all of you too!" He added looking around at the crowd.

"Go lick lick in hell you pervert." The woman said coldly, as she looked down at him with the most disgust filled gaze she could possibly muster.

Keeping his grip on the other's tongue for just a few seconds more to make sure he learned his lesson, King not then released his tongue but walked over to him and wiped his hand off on the other's clothes.

"Remember, if there's a next time, it won't be so easy to get away." He warned him, before walking away once he had dried his hand completely.

Unable to keep himself from fainting out of fear and shock, no one paid the worm of a man anymore attention as they were all focused on King.

"That was amazing King!" "Did you come here because you sensed a Monster?" "The monster just fainted! is that some kind of super power?" "No that's just King's pressure!" "Look at his face, he's pissed! make a path for King!" "H-How can I become as strong as you?" "I've fallen in love with you~" Were just a handful of the dozens upon dozens of things the people were saying as they swarmed around him.

"No I was just shopping." He answered as he made sure to answer their questions "And I'm not angry." He assured them, though with his expression it was hard to believe.

"What's that noise?" A man asked as he could hear something that resembled a drum being beaten.

"Don't you know? that's the King Engine, it's the sound that plays whenever he's about to fight, some people say that any monster who hears it doesn't come back alive." Another man explained to him.

"I'm in a hurry, can you move aside?" King asked suddenly, causing them all to adorn looks of worry.

"Are we causing trouble for mister King?" "We're sorry!" "Everyone make a path for King!" A few voices in the crowd said, just before they all stepped aside.

Giving a small smile and a wave of appreciation to them as he went on, he could feel them watching him walk away until he turned a corner and was out of sight. And the very moment he saw that he was alone and wouldn't be approached by anyone, King breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he leaned against the wall of a nearby building.

"Holy hell that was intense..." He sighed as he put his free hand to his chest "How the hell does Saitama make it look so easy?" He wondered as he did his best to calm down.

Though he wasn't a coward anymore like when he first met Saitama, King still had moments where the intensity and danger of a situation got the better of him. But he was getting pretty damn good at putting on a straight face despite his inner nervousness, now all he had to do was figure out a way to make his heartbeat not echo out from his body, which admittedly always did weird him out a little. At any rate, once he got control of his breathing and his heart was back to it's normal rhythm, he straightened back up and continued on his way.


	57. Punch Twenty One

_"Why does this always happen to me?..."_ King wondered as he stared up at the being who stood before him.

Towering over the S class hero was from what he could tell a massive robot, designed to look like a king or knight of some kind.

 _"All I wanted to do was buy the new dating sim and go home..."_ He thought as he recalled his life just a few minutes ago.

* * *

 _"Thank you so much mister King!" The female cashier exclaimed as she handed him his purchase in a bag "Please come again! we appreciate your business!" She added with a smile as he took the bag from her._

 _"Of course, you guys are the only ones who don't go crazy over me." He replied as he with a small wave headed towards the door._

 _After having dealt with the reptile man King went to a game store not too far from his place, where he not only was a regular but was also picking up the latest video game to release. Not only that, but like any true gamer would he made sure to get the limited first edition. And while some people might find being so proud and happy over a video game as he often got a little strange, he could say the exact same thing about most of his fellow S class heroes who he thought were a bit too into killing monsters sometimes. Regardless though of anyone's opinions of him and his love of video games, it seemed like for the first time in a while everything was working out perfectly and nothing could ruin his day._

 _But of course, this just wouldn't be the case, for after a few minutes of walking nearly back at his apartment he would find himself stopped by a being who sought to challenge him. Which honestly was something he had come to expect by this point._

 _"My name is G4, a machine god created by the Organization" The massive mechanical entity spoke as it looked down towards him "You are the world's second strongest hero King, Sidekick to the world's strongest hero One Punch Man, I have come to eliminate you!" It revealed._

* * *

 _"This close..."_ He thought with a sigh as he closed his eyes _"This close to being back in my apartment..."_

"Are you listening to me?!" It questioned as it suddenly drew from it's back a massive sword and pointed it towards him "I said I have come to kill you!" It shouted, seeming to be impatient.

Opening his eyes and staring back at the other, King knew that the likelihood of him winning this fight was not very good, so he would need to find someway to come up with a plan.

"Why are you here to kill me?" He asked, hoping to by himself some time.

"This is a performance test for my battle AI! I cannot collect any battle data if I kill you by surprise!" It answered "Fight me with all you've got!" It challenged.

Still struggling to come up with a plan that would help him beat this thing, something that it had said suddenly stuck out to King, giving him an idea.

"Are you planning to fight One Punch Man?" He asked, seeming to catch the other off guard "When you introduced yourself you pointed out I was the second strongest hero in the world, do you intend to use me as practice for him?" He questioned.

"Yes, I do." It replied as placed it's other hand to it's chest "I was designed with the intent of creating a weapon that could kill One Punch Man, but in order to ensure success I must test my capabilities, and who better to test them on than the world's second strongest?" He explained.

"If that's the case, then wouldn't you want to fight me at my best?" King asked.

"What do you mean?" The other replied.

"I have to use the bathroom, otherwise I won't be fighting at my full potential because I'll be holding it in while we do so." King explained.

Seeming to think it over for a moment, the other would soon lower it's sword, telling him that his attempt to delay the fight had worked.

"I will wait here for ten minutes, every minute after that I will kill ten people, if you try to escape then this whole town will be history." It warned.

Simply nodding to show that he understood, King walked away from the street and continued to do so until he reached the nearby park and entered it's bathroom. Once inside he pressed his back against a wall and clutched his chest with his free hand, as the other was still holding onto his bag.

"Shit what am I going to do?!" He asked himself as he looked down at the floor "There's no way I can fight that thing! at least not hand to hand!" He exclaimed as he slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor.

Feeling his heart only beat faster and faster as countless thoughts and ideas raced through his mind, no matter how hard he thought it seemed like there was nothing he could do that would better his chance for victory. But as he continued to try and come up with a solution, he found himself looking down at his hand which gripped his chest so tightly. And in that moment as he looked at his hand and how it seemed to be holding onto him as though he were about to die, a sudden realization hit him.

"...What am I doing?..." He wondered as he let go of himself "I'm...sitting in a public restroom...hiding..." He said as his heart rate was going down "...I'm supposed to be an S class hero...and yet I'm sitting here...acting like a coward..." He went on as his hand slowly balled into a fist "Every time something big happens, I'm either too scared or too weak to do anything, and then the others have to bail me out..." He admitted as he gritted his teeth "I'm tired...I'm tired of being so useless!" He shouted as he got to his feet.

Setting the game down on the sink as he stood King without hesitation left the restroom and headed back to the street. Normally in a situation like this he would've said it was the adrenaline that made him move, or the thought of being the reason that so many innocent people would get hurt or even killed because he failed to act, but in this moment as he headed to face down his challenger, it was neither of the two that made him move. His whole life he had avoided the world, done his best to stay to himself and let all of the insanity that waited for him out there to just ignore him altogether, but when monsters kept attacking him left and right it was always someone else who got him out of it. But now, as he found himself standing once more before the massive mechanical monster that had been sent to kill him from this "Organization", he wasn't scared like he usually was, nor was he hoping someone would come to help him.

For this was the first time in his whole life that King finally felt no fear within him, and whether or not he would win this fight he would make sure that he not only deserved his status as an S class hero, but that he also deserved his name. This would be the moment he would prove to himself and the world, that he was King.

"Alright." He spoke as he readied his fists in front of himself "I'm ready to fight you with all I've got."


	58. Punch Twenty Two

In a world where one man can obliterate massive monsters with but a single punch it's hard to believe anything is out of reason. Whether it be psychics, mutants, cyborgs, aliens, or whatever else one's imagination can think of, when you have someone like Saitama around, anything seems possible. This is the exact thought that entered King's mind when he first met Saitama, seeing someone who was like him in so many ways become the world's strongest hero was admittedly inspiring, hence why he became Saitama's "sidekick". And while this was how the world and the other heroes saw him and he was fine with it, all that mattered to him was that one day all of his effort he put forward to showing Saitama his kindness and respect hadn't gone to waste is what really drove him towards becoming strong.

To no longer need to rely on others to save is life when it was in danger, to no longer have his whole body turn into jello when the slightest bit of trouble emerged, to be able to stand tall with his head held high instead of between his legs in a dry heave, this was the dream he sought to obtain. But before today that's all it was, a dream concocted by a man simply wanting to better himself and repay the countless times his good friend had saved his hide, to prove to himself as well as the world he could be more than a coward and that maybe just maybe, he too could be a great hero. This is why despite the pain he felt in this moment, despite the blood that came from his body, he had one of the proudest most joyful smiles he ever had present on his face, as for the first time in his whole he was standing his ground in a fight instead of running away from it.

And while he was in no way close to being as strong as Saitama, which to be fair no one was, even he was surprised by the amount of strength, speed, and awareness that he apparently possessed. The fight between him and G4 had only just begun a few minutes ago, but even so he had managed to not only dodged every swing of the sword the massive machine sent his way, but he also managed to put a decent bit of dents into it. This is where the blood came from, for while his foe hadn't landed a single blow yet he was still punching hardened metal and was by no means "super", so with each punch he bruised his fists more and more until he began to draw blood, which his opponent did take notice of.

"Heh, you're bleeding from your own attacks?" It questioned as it gestured to it's body "You've only managed to cause a few light dents in my frame, and yet you're already injured." It taunted as it pointed it's sword towards him "I will admit this, you've done a good job of dodging my attacks so far, but how long do you honestly believe you can keep this up?" It asked.

"Until I kick your ass..." King answered trying to be cool, causing the other to laugh.

"Amusing, but pathetic." It told him as it readied it's blade for another attack "At this rate, I'll have little worthwhile data from this experience." It taunted again as it swung it's sword.

At one point in time King would've died right then and there, as the sword had moved with such speed and power it not only was near impossible to see but it was strong enough to slice clean through the nearby lights, signs, and vehicles without any issue. And whether it was thanks to the training Saitama had him do, or perhaps it was the experiences he shared with the others during their hero work, he not only managed to dodge the blade successfully but he also before the attack was finished dashed up to G4 in order to land another blow. Pulling his fist back and sending it forward with as much power as he could possibly muster, while he didn't send the other flying down the street he did make it skid back a few feet, and the dent he made this time was his biggest yet. Sadly this attack wasn't without cost, as the moment it connected King could feel three of the fingers on that hand break violently, meaning that if he chose to use that hand for another attack he would then break it, rendering it completely useless.

But before he could focus on his worsened injury even more G4 was quick to retaliate, dashing forwards to not only regain the lost ground but to also to try and land another attack. Making sure to keep his eye on the sword for any slight adjustments in it's path, King waited for the attack to come but found that the sword wasn't the intended offense, but instead was a distraction. Knowing that he would be expecting to dodge the sword yet again, G4 used it to keep his attention as it used it's own body as a battering ram of sorts, hitting King at near full speed and sending him flying through the air down the street. Going right through the front of an office building and tumbling across the floor until he hit the reception desk, he couldn't keep himself from regurgitating blood as the blow had done quite a bit of damage.

"Sh-Shit..." He coughed as he dragged an arm across his mouth "H-He broke most of my ribs..." He wheezed as the injuries he sustained was making it hard for him to breathe.

Trying his best to get to his feet as to try and prepare a defense, King would soon find himself lifted from the ground by G4's hand, before he was then thrown back outside onto the street. Bouncing roughly a few times on the road before painfully skidding to a stop, besides his sleeve being torn apart and some of the skin on his arm being torn a bit as well, he didn't sustain any new major injuries.

"Is this really all you have to offer?" G4 questioned as it slowly approached him, seeing no need to hurry "You're supposed to be the world's second strongest, and yet you're not even in the top five." It taunted yet again as it soon came to a stop in front of him "How are you even S class?" It asked.

"T-To be honest...I have no idea..." King admitted with a chuckle as he coughed up a bit more blood "It just sorta happened...because I knew Saitama..." He explained as he got to his knees "B-But I promised him...that I wouldn't let him down...that I would show him...I could be strong..." He went on as he got to his feet "Which is exactly what I'm going to do...by beating you..." He told the other as he brought his fists back up in front of him,

Or at least he would've, if the moment he finished speaking he wasn't immediately sent flying into another building, this time to his left. But unlike before where he had been rammed, this time what sent him flying was actually G4's sword, as when the other attacked King due to his injuries could only try and block it. And while amazingly he did manage to block it it wasn't without cost. Whether it was due to his body's own resilience or perhaps the sword was a bit dull, instead of being cleaved in half he only had two large gashes in his forearms where the sword made contact.

Unfortunately these gashes were deep enough to put his arms out of commission, leaving him completely defenseless. Unable to do anything other than watch as G4 approached him and picked him up once again, even in the face of his final moments King still felt no fear, which despite his pain caused him to smile.

"Is something amusing?" It asked him, finding his expression to be strange given the situation.

"I-I'm not afraid..." He muttered beneath his breath, as his smile grew a bit bigger "For the first time...I'm not afraid..."

"Good for you." G4 replied as it raised him above his head, preparing to throw him straight towards the ground "Too bad this will be both the first, as well as the last time." He told him.

Knowing well there was no point in struggling as he could barely feel anything to begin with, King simply closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

 _"I'm sorry Saitama..."_ He thought as he took a deep breath _"But at least...I gave it my all..."_

After a few seconds more of being held in the air G4's arm went flying down towards the ground and with it, King's whole world went dark.


	59. Punch Twenty Three

_Many times in a person's life they think they have bad luck, sometimes it's only for a short while but then there are those who think their entire life is a series of unlucky happenings. Yet there always is one person among all of them who claim to attract misfortune and actually do, these poor souls are constantly finding themselves in the most precarious of situations and dealing with the most insane of problems, all the while they wonder why are they the ones who have to suffer like this? Yet in the entirety of the world's history there has never been a person as unlucky or unfortunate, than the one who would one day be called King. For while he would someday be seen and admired as being one of the world's strongest heroes, long before he would even be considered a hero let alone seen as one of great power, he was what most would call a hermit._

 _Rarely ever leaving his apartment which at the time was quite small and cheap, King's life was mostly consumed by his love of video games. Whether it was competing in tournaments or just staying at home and playing by himself, overall he was a quiet person who kept to himself and tried with all his might to just avoid anything that was related to trouble. Yet for some reason unknown to him, nearly every time he went outside whether it was to do some shopping or to buy a new game, there'd be a sudden attack from some horrifying monster and always he'd be right at the center of it. At first he thought it was just a remarkable coincidence of wrong place wrong time, but after it happened nearly five times in the span of two months, he was beginning to think some greater cosmic power had it in for him._

 _Thankfully though his desire to avoid trouble at all costs made him quite good at running away, which most would not consider a skill to brag about mind you but seeing as how he was still in one piece and not lying dead in a ditch somewhere, he took a strange pride in his ability to flee. But sadly as it is the law of probability there would no doubt come a time where he wouldn't be able to easily escape whatever horror had suddenly appeared before him, which was the case in this moment where as he was going back to his apartment a new game in hand, a massive octopus like creature suddenly appeared and was attacking everything in sight, including him._

 _"LOOK OUT! RUN AWAY!" The people shouted in terror as they did their best to avoid the monster._

 _Running as he always did whenever something like this happened, just as it seemed he would get away he accidentally tripped over himself. Falling to the ground he managed to land on his forearms to lessen the impact, even so as he tried to quickly get back to his feet a shadow was cast over him, causing him to look behind him and see the looming figure of the creature. Paralyzed head to toe from fear he couldn't so much as even open his mouth to scream, even when the monster drew one of it's hands back and it was clear it sought to harm him, he still could do nothing._

 _"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He shouted in pain as it slashed the left side of his face with it's claw, leaving three perfect marks "GAAAAAH MY EYES! OOOOOW! SOMEBODY...SOMEBODY!" He cried out for help, hoping anyone could save him._

 _Covering his face from both the pain and from fear of what was to come next, he heard what sounded like an explosion going off before everything suddenly went quiet._

 _"Hey, calm down." A man's voice told him after a few moments of silence "The Monster has been taken care of, are your eyes alright?" He asked as he stepped closer "The wound doesn't look too deep, try to open them slowly." He directed._

 _Scared of the thought his left eye might be blind or even worse not there anymore, he slowly opened both of them and was relieved find that amazingly his left eye hadn't been touched in the attack. But as he continued to open his eyes he soon was able to seen who had saved him, and when he did they immediately shot open._

 _"I-It's you..." He muttered as he couldn't believe who was standing before him._

 _"Oh good you can see." The other man said as a smile came to his face "It'd really suck if I let that monster hurt you." He admitted._

 _"Y-You're terribly hurt!" He exclaimed as he looked the other man over, finding him to be covered in a good deal of wounds and blood._

 _"These scratches are nothing." The other assured him as his smile became a smirk "Haha...Today's a big sale day." He told him as he turned around "Take care of yourself!" He said as he then ran away._

 _Watching as the other took his leave of the scene, the man was no longer concerned with the still bleeding claw marks on his face as any fear and panic had been replaced by amazement and awe._

 _"Wow...I just got saved by One Punch Man..." He muttered before his eyes went wide "I-I JUST GOT SAVED BY ONE PUNCH MAN, AND I DIDN'T SAY THANK YOU!" He realized as he smacked himself in the head, making sure to avoid his injury._

 _Though he wasn't the biggest hero fan in the world, or even someone who knew a decent bit about them, the man would have to be living in a cave to not know about One Punch Man. The hero who inspired the Hero's Association, the man they say ends all fights in a single blow, the man who isn't a hero for a living but simply because he wants to, and in the one chance encounter he just had with him, he didn't show his appreciation for him saving his life._

 _"Oh man, he probably thinks I'm a real jerk!" He exclaimed worriedly as he got to his feet "Maybe I can send him a letter or something?" He suggested, just as a better idea came to mind "Oh wait I know! I'll just go thank him in person!" He decided before he ran back to his apartment._

 _Spending the next several hours dressing his wound and finding out where One Punch Man lived, it turned out that his address wasn't just on the association website but also on a lot of blogs and news websites that talked about heroes. And while at first that didn't seem too weird as he assumed people knew it for the sake of fan mail, the next day when he made his way to City Z in order to thank him, he discovered the REAL reason as to why everyone knew the address. Right outside the apartment building where the address was located were about three news vans and a crowd of at least one hundred people. However like any normal person would he simply believed that something was happening to warrant them being there, like One Punch Man was doing an interview or maybe he was signing autographs._

 _But as he made his way through the crowd and into the stairwell he noticed how there seemed to be no sign of One Punch Man anywhere, and that they were all just standing around without him being present._

 _"...Huh..." He sounded as he took one final look, finding the whole thing to be a little strange._

 _Climbing up the stairs until he reached the right floor, the moment he walked out and approached the right door, someone from below shouted out at him._

 _"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" They questioned causing him to look over his shoulder "YOU CAN'T JUST WALK UP TO HIS APARTMENT LIKE THAT!"_

 _Unsure as to what the big deal was, before he could respond the sound of footsteps hurrying towards the door could be heard, soon followed by the door being opened._

 _"Hey! I told you guys that you couldn't just come up here any-" One Punch Man began to say, only to stop once he saw who was standing there "Wait, you're the guy." He realized._

 _"Uh...yeah..." He responded awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head "Listen uh, One Punch Man, I know this is probably weird and all, especially since you just woke up." He said taking note of the other's light blue pajamas "But I just wanted to tell you in person that I'm sorry I didn't thank you yesterday for saving me, and that I'm here now to say thank you...so uh...thank you." He explained looking off to the side as to avoid eye contact._

 _To say the silence that came between them once his show of gratitude had finished was awkward would be a severe understatement, for on one hand the man was expecting One Punch Man to just say something like "No Problem" or "It's my job" and that'd be the end of it. But then on the other hand there was One Punch Man, and while as a hero he was used to getting fan mail and having people thank him, it was usually something that was WAY over the top and honestly got a bit too obsessive or creepy. But as he looked at the man who currently stood outside his door, he didn't see some hyperactive fan or crazed reporter looking for the next story about him, instead he saw someone who while acknowledging him as a hero was doing so in a way that was both humble and fairly casual. And for him that was a refreshing change of pace._

 _"Hey." He spoke regaining the other's attention "Wanna come inside?" He invited._

 _"Wait...really?" He asked receiving a nod in response "Uh, yeah sure, thanks." He said as he entered the apartment._

 _Closing the door behind him once he was inside, One Punch Man then walked past him and into his living room._

 _"Sorry that there's not a lot of room, but there should still be enough for both of us." He said._

 _"Oh it's no big deal, thanks for inviting me in." The man replied as he sat down at the small table at the room's center._

 _Sitting across from him on the other side of the table another brief silence came between the two as both seemed to have something in mind._

 _"So uh...not trying to sound rude or anything...but...why did you invite me in?" The man asked.  
_

 _"Hm? oh I dunno, just seemed rude to leave you standing there is all." One Punch Man admitted with a shrug._

 _"Do you always let people in? like your fans I mean." The man asked, making sure to be specific._

 _"I used to, but then one time I caught them trying to take something of mine for some reason and then I stopped." One Punch Man answered as a sigh escaped him "What's really weird is they weren't stealing it to like sell it or anything, they just wanted it cause it was mine." He explained._

 _"That's...really creepy." The Man admitted causing him to chuckle._

 _"Yeah, but I guess it happens when you're a hero like me." One Punch Man said with a shrug, though not in a egotistical way "So, what's your name?" He asked._

 _"Huh?" The man sounded, seeming to have been caught off guard by the question._

 _"If we're gonna keep talking I'd like to know what your name is, otherwise I'd be rude." One Punch Man explained._

 _"Oh." The man simply replied as he looked down at his lap **"Crap what should I tell him? my name's not really that interesting..."** He thought to himself as he tried to come up with something **"Wait, maybe I could tell him what the people at the tournaments call me, yeah that could work."** He reasoned before he looked back to the other "People call me King." He told him trying to be as cool as he possibly could._

 _"King huh?" One Punch Man repeated as his eyes widened a bit "How come they call you that?" He asked, causing him to freeze._

 _"Uh..." King sounded as he wasn't prepared for that "It's...because I've placed first in a lot of tournaments..." He answered, hoping that it would be enough._

 _"Like fighting tournaments?" One Punch Man questioned._

 _"Yeah...something like that..." King replied._

 _Although he was technically telling the truth as he had placed first in several fighting GAME tournaments, he still felt a little guilty as he felt like he was lying. But as a few seconds passed by of One Punch Man looking at him with a gaze he couldn't quite figure out the nature of, the other then went on to shrug before letting a small smile come to his face._

 _"Alright, King it is then." He said as he rested his head in the palm of his hand "So tell me King, what kinda stuff are you into besides fighting?" He asked._

 _"Oh, well I like to read manga sometimes, and I like to play video games." King answered breathing a sigh of relief that his half truth had worked._

 _"Really? wanna play some games then?" One Punch Man asked, which brought a smile to King's face._

 _"Yeah sure." He replied as the other then got up from his seat._

 _Watching him walk over to his television and set up a console, once that was done and the game was ready to be played King got up from his seat and joined him in front of the TV. And while at first it seemed like they would play for maybe a couple of minutes or so before they went back to talking or he was asked to leave, they actually ended up playing for the next several hours, not even realizing it until their stomach's growled.O_

 _"Huh, guess we've been playing for a pretty long time." One Punch Man admitted as he got up "Want to stay for some lunch King?" He offered._

 _"Really? you sure that would be okay?" King asked causing the other to give him a confused look._

 _"Uh yeah, it's my apartment so as long as I'm okay with it I'm pretty sure it's okay." He replied._

 _"Oh right." King said, mentally slapping himself for not thinking that one out._

 _"You don't mind if we just have some udon do you? I bought a bunch of it at the sale yesterday." One Punch Man asked._

 _"No that'd be fine, thanks." King replied, doing his best not to come off as rude in any way._

 _Needing only ten minutes or so to cook enough for the both of them, soon they both had a piping hot bow of udon noodles that smelled wonderful._

 _"Alright, let's dig in." One Punch Man said as he started eating._

 _Simply nodding in reply before he did the same, the two went on to eat their food in relative silence for the next few minutes._

 _"So King." One Punch Man spoke as to gain his attention "When you said earlier that you placed first in fighting tournaments, you meant fighting games didn't you?" He questioned, causing the other to go pale._

 _"Uh..." King sounded though a bit muffled, as One Punch Man had caught him right as he had a mouthful of udon._

 _"Just making a guess, but from how amazing you are at video games and the fact that you don't look all that strong, I'm guessing you were just trying to impress me right?" He asked._

 _Even though he was shocked to be confront about his story like this King had to admit that even he wouldn't have found his explanation earlier to be all too convincing either, and seeing as how had just spent the last few hours unintentionally showing the other his skills at games, there was nothing left to do but confess._

 _"Y-You're right..." King said as he swallowed his food "But I swear I wasn't trying to lie to you, it's just I didn't think you'd find who I really was interesting." He admitted._

 _"How come?" One Punch Man asked._

 _"Because...I'm a coward." King answered as he looked down at himself "But not just because I was running from the monster yesterday, I spend most of my time in my apartment avoiding everybody because I don't want to be a part of anything dangerous." He explained as a sigh escaped him "But to be honest, it seems like lately every time I leave my apartment I'm always in the perfect place for a monster to attack, this was like the third one his month." He admitted._

 _Taking a moment to consider his answer, most people might've seen King as this pathetic nobody who was basically a shut in, but to him he was just someone who was afraid of how scary the world could be. And while he didn't really understand because he'd never been TOO scared of anything, he figured that if what King said was true, then he had every right to be apprehensive about the world as it seemed like it was almost out to get him._

 _"...Do you want some help?" One Punch Man asked._

 _"What?" King replied not sure as to what he meant._

 _"If you want I could teach you some stuff to help you deal with monsters." One Punch Man offered._

 _"Wait really?" King asked being genuinely surprised "You'd do that for me?"  
_

 _"Sure, we're friends aren't we?" One Punch Man asked as he pointed to the television "Or have I been playing video games all day with a complete stranger?"_

 _Being taken aback by how fast things seemed to be moving, not only was One Punch Man of all people offering to teach him how to deal with monsters, but he was also saying that they were friends._

 _"W-Wait a minute." King spoke as he held a hand up "W-We just met and we're already friends?" He asked.  
_

 _"We don't have to be if you don't want to." One Punch Man replied as he leaned back "I just figured we get along and all so it might be cool to hang out some more." He explained with a shrug._

 _Still a bit shocked at what was happening, all King had intended to do was just say his thanks and then be on his way. But even he had to admit that these past few hours he'd spent with the other were some of the best he'd had in a long time, as due to his nature he was always awkward around people and found interacting with them hard because he felt like they were judging him. But he didn't feel that way around One Punch Man, for the first time in a long time he felt like he wasn't being judged for being the way he was and that he could finally be comfortable spending time with another human being, instead of one that existed only on a screen._

 _"Yeah, that sounds like fun." King agreed causing the other to smile._

 _"Cool." One Punch Man replied "Oh, but if we're gonna be hanging out then you should probably know my real name, Saitama." He revealed._

 _And so from that moment on King and Saitama continued to hang out with each other, whether it was to play games or just to kill a few hours, over the next several months the two became great friends. All the while Saitama would occasionally show King a thing or two about fighting, nothing too extravagant or technical just some basic punches and kicks and even a training regime he could start doing to make himself stronger. However, as the two continued to hang out Saitama continued to grow in both popularity as well as power, so much so that he started to actually dispel any monster he fought with but one single blow, bringing the name of One Punch Man to life completely. Though this wasn't without it's drawbacks, first there was an obvious one which was his hair falling out leaving him bald, then there was the increase in size of the crowd that gathered outside his apartment building, and finally as he continued to dispatch all enemies in a single attack they all just started surrendering the moment he showed up, wanting to live rather than to commit suicide by trying to fight him._

 _This caused his life to become insanely boring as his dream of being a superhero was beginning to look less enjoyable, but thankfully King was right by his side to not only give him some encouraging words of support when he needed it, but also helped him relax and unwind from all of the stress the public gave him with a good old fashioned game session. Though it's because of their friendship and King always coming around to hang out with Saitama that people began to assume that he was his sidekick, and before either he or King knew about it he was suddenly made an S class hero and was being called the world's second strongest hero. Which you can imagine didn't set well with him._

 _"OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD!" He exclaimed as he paced nervously back and forth._

 _"Calm down dude, you're gonna make a rut in the floor." Saitama told him as he casually read a manga._

 _"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM ABOUT THIS SAITAMA?!" King asked as he stopped to look at him "I-I'M AN S CLASS HERO! BUT I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANY KIND OF HERO WORK! DOESN'T THAT BOTHER YOU?!" He questioned._

 _"Not really." Saitama replied with a shrug as he turned a page "To be honest I'm surprised it took them this long to do it, figured it'd happen after we started hanging out." He admitted._

 _"YEAH WELL THIS STILL ISN'T GOOD! THEY'RE GONNA EXPECT ME TO DO HERO STUFF AND FIGHT MONSTERS! I CAN'T DO THAT!" King shouted as he gripped the sides of his head "TH-THEY'RE GONNA EXPECT ME TO SAVE THEM! A-AND WHEN I CAN'T THEN PEOPLE ARE GONNA GET HURT OR KILLED BECAUSE OF IT!" He went on, going into a full panic._

 _Suddenly, before he could say or do anything else Saitama was in front of him with his hands gripping his arms._

 _"Dude chill out." Saitama told him as he lowered the other's arms from his head "It's not that bad, they only call on S class heroes when something big happens, when it does I can take care of it." He assured him._

 _"B-But what if you can't Saitama?" King asked as he looked to the floor "O-Or what if they need me to do something else while you're handling the problem, what am I supposed to do?" He asked._

 _"Look King." Saitama said as he put his hands on his shoulders "If you really feel this bad about it, then we can go to the association HQ and get this all sorted out, sound good?" He suggested._

 _"Y-You'd do that for me?" King asked._

 _"Of course, what're friends for?" Saitama replied as he gave him a light pat on the shoulder "Just let me get into my costume and we can go get it sorted out right now." He said as he headed towards the bathroom._

 _Time seemed to slow down as King watched his friend walk away, for while he should be overjoyed that this whole thing would get resolved, for some reason he wasn't._

 ** _"Why am I not happy?..."_** _He wondered as he looked down at himself **"Saitama's gonna get this whole thing sorted out, so...why don't I feel relieved?...is it because...I feel bad?"** He questioned as he looked back to Saitama **"But why would I feel bad? it's not like I'm asking him to bail me out like I got myself into this...and yet...I feel guilty?..."**_

 _Doing his best to try and make sense of what he was feeling, as he thought more and more on what could be the cause of it, he soon had his answer._

 ** _"It's because of all he's done for me."_** _He realized as his eyes widened **"First he saved me, then he became my friend, and even after that he tried to teach me how to fight so I could protect myself."** He recalled as his hands slowly balled into fists **"And yet here I am, asking him to tell everyone that I'm too much of a coward to be a hero, regardless if it's in S class or not."** He thought angrily before he shouted "WAIT!"_

 _Stopping just as he was about to reach the bathroom door Saitama turned around and looked at his friend with a confused gaze._

 _"Is something wrong King?" He asked, unsure as to what the outburst was about._

 _"I...I want...to become stronger." King answered as he looked to the floor "My whole life I've run away from everything, because everything scared me, but now I have the chance to be better than that and like always I'm running away from it." He explained as he looked back to Saitama "So please Saitama, help me to become stronger!" He requested._

 _"Um...what?" Saitama questioned still not sure as to what was happening._

 _"I want to be stronger so I can stop being so afraid of everything, and you always said you'd help me to fight." King explained._

 _"Well yeah but that was when I thought you just wanted to know some basic self defense stuff, why do you suddenly want to be a hero? you were like, terrified a few seconds ago." Saitama pointed out._

 _Upon hearing that all of the gusto King suddenly seemed to have dispersed, and while he hadn't reverted back to how he was just a few moments ago, he did seem to be more aware of what he was saying._

 _"I...I don't know..." He admitted with a sigh as he opened his fists "I just...I'm tired of always needing someone to help me whenever something happens, whether it's a monster attack or this, I'm just tired of being a coward." He explained._

 _Looking at his friend who now seemed like he was defeated, Saitama walked back over to him and put his hands back on the other's shoulders._

 _"Alright, then we're going to have to do my training regime." He said causing King's eyes to widen._

 _"W-Wait really?!" He questioned._

 _"Yes." Saitama confirmed with a nod "But if you want to become stronger then you'll have to be put through the same intensity that I put myself through, think you can handle it?" He asked._

 _Feeling that former gusto slowly return, while he was afraid of what would be in store should he say yes, King still wanted to go through with it._

 _"Bring it on." He challenged with a confident glare, causing the other to smirk._

 _"Very well then, follow me and we'll get all that you need to prepare!" Saitama exclaimed as he headed for the door._

 _Following his friend out of the apartment the two would go on to visit a local clothing store in order to buy King a week's worth of training suits. And even though he was admittedly relieved and a bit baffled that the "intense training regime" Saitama had in store for him was actually just basic strength training, he still planned to give it his all in order to become stronger. Slowly but surely as he stuck to the regime every day the once lanky form of King began to fill out with muscles, so much so that his shirts were now gripping his toned physique. And while at first there were those who did doubt the notion he was the second strongest hero in the world, as people hero or citizen witnessed him training every day and on occasion accompanying Saitama when the task at hand wasn't too serious, the claim that he was exactly that was all the more believable._

 _But even as the people and his fellow S class began to believe his appointed title wasn't just for show, even as he began to help people and stop crime in his city, even as his popularity and fame grew, none of it is what kept him going. Instead what kept him waking up early each morning and doing all that he could to improve himself as both a hero and a person, was an unspoken promise he kept in his mind._

 _"I won't let you down Saitama." He swore as he jogged in the early hours of the day "I'll do whatever it takes to become the second strongest hero."_


	60. Punch Twenty Four

One of the most common depictions of one's soul leaving this mortal coil and transcending into the afterlife is a dark abyssal nothingness illuminated by a single bright white light. Now of course none of us can be truly certain as to what it is like to die, as anyone who HAS experienced such a thing would not be able to relay that information to us. But for what seemed like an eternity King floated in a dark and empty space that matched the one described, though it lacked the bright white light. What was even stranger was his lack of reaction, he wasn't scared or worried that something might've gone wrong which he normally would've done, instead he was calm and serene almost as if he were sleeping.

 _"Is this what it's like?"_ He wondered with his eyes closed, feeling as though he was drifting _"I always thought if I died, there'd be someone...or something waiting."_

Given how he seemed to be stuck in a place of limbo this was all he really could do, as even if he desired to move or do anything other than think he found he was unable to. However, given that he had not moved on to any actual place such as Heaven or Hell if they in fact existed, the notion that he was stuck in some manner of limbo or even purgatory was made easier to accept, and should this in fact be the case then perhaps he hadn't been fully killed. Maybe he had simply been put into a coma, or the more darkly humorous ideas was that both Heaven and Hell were simply too busy to deal with his particular soul at this time. These were a few of the thoughts that occupied his mind as he floated adrift in this nothingness, completely unaware of what was actually happening to him outside of this place.

* * *

There are few select moments in life where if one is asleep or even unconscious it is actually better than if they were awake, such examples include a long flight on a crowded and fairly noisy airplane, or if there is a raging storm outside and you wish to ignore it completely until it passes. But in this particular moment the person who benefited from being unconscious was King, despite the fact this was due to the immense amount of damage and strain put on his body. For just as G4 was about to slam his body into the ground which would have killed him, a sudden explosion occurred at the center of it's form with enough power and intensity to break the sound barrier. If anyone had still been around to watch the fight up to this point they might've assumed it was One Punch Man who delivered the attack, but if this were the case not only would there be nothing left of G4 but most of the city block would also be gone.

Instead it was Genos who had delivered the blow to G4, and while it only managed to break apart some of it's armor, it did successfully serve as a smokescreen which diverted G4's attention to him whilst Saitama with great speed rescued King. With but an insanely quick passing nod between them as Saitama freed King from his assailant's grasp and escaped, Genos before G4 could react used what was left of the attack's smoke to quickly get behind him without being noticed. Once in position he then leaped high in the air only to come straight down on the other's neck, latching onto it with both of his hands. Sadly for G4, just as he realized what had truly happened Genos without so much as a word powered his weapons to their fullest before unleashing a hellfire from his palms which went straight into the other's body.

Unable to do anything but stand there and take the full force of the attack, G4's entire body slowly glowed brighter and brighter as the heat filled out his form, quickly turning him from the once mighty machine he was into a melting heap of metal. Staying there on it's back a few seconds longer as to be absolutely certain it was finished, Genos then leaped from it's backside to the street in front of it, landing a good few feet away.

"I've melted it from the inside, he should not be able to move again." He spoke talking to Saitama "His gigantic body was his downfall." He noted as he turned around.

Expecting to see Saitama standing there with King in his arms, Genos was surprised to in fact see King lying on the ground with a fairly panicked Saitama looking him over.

"This isn't good..." He said as he inspected King's injuries "He's lost a lot of blood, we need to get him to a hospital immediately!" He exclaimed worriedly.

But before either him or Genos could proceed with their next action, the sound of shifting metal reached their ears, causing them to look back at the still melting form of G4. Looking into the center of it's body passed the molten metal, the two of them could see something moving inside of it, only to then realize that it wasn't fully destroyed.

"Saitama, get King to doctor Genus, I'll finish this." Genos told him as he turned back around.

"Oh right the doctor guy!" Saitama recalled as he picked King up "Good idea Genos!" He complimented just before he disappeared.

Knowing well Saitama had taken off with incredible speed and that King would be okay, Genos then directed his full attention to G4 who had finished emerging from it's body. Though much smaller than his previous form was, his true form that now stood before him looked more appropriate for battle, as it's design heavily resembled that of a soldier with a helmet like head and an armored body.

"So this is your true form then?" Genos asked though received no answer "Then I'll make sure to leave nothing of it when I'm through." He threatened with a glare as without hesitation he darted forward ready to attack.

* * *

It been a long time since Saitama had felt worry or even fear, most of the time he was simply bored with but some moments of joy and anger coming through. But from the quick journey to the House of Evolution to waiting as doctor Genus and his clones attended to King, that is exactly what he felt. Pacing back and forth outside of the door Saitama had never been this worried about anyone in his life, though that was mostly because before now he never really had to. Back when he was still a normal person he really didn't have many friends or people in his life that he was concerned for, and even when he became a hero anyone he worked with or knew fairly well was strong enough to take care of themselves.

Then that fateful day happened when he and King first met and soon after became friends, and while admittedly he knew King wasn't all that strong he still didn't worry about him because if something should happen he could've easily taken care of it. Still, as time went on and King got stronger and wanted to partake more in S class missions or just wanted to accompany Saitama whenever he went out, there was a small bit of concern if things managed to somehow get out of hand. But this, this was something that Saitama not even in his worst dreams could've ever expected, as he always thought that if something should happen he'd be able to get there in time to have King's back and make sure nothing serious happened. Though as he thought about it this wasn't the first time he felt such panic and worry for one of his friends, for as he paced back and forth he thought back to the inciddent with Sea King and how he thought in that moment Kaemon had been killed.

Never until that exact point in time had he ever been faced with the reality that one of his friends could die, but seeing Sea King take their head from beneath his crown and show to him like some sick trophy, admittedly something snapped. Nothing like a psychotic break or anything, but in that still instance of time a burst of emotions filled out his form, which hadn't happened in quite some time. Anger, sadness, guilty, and regret were the most prominent though there could've been a few more, honestly while Saitama did want to feel things again on a consistent basis such as excitement or adrenaline, he didn't want to dwell on unpleasant feelings like those.

"One Punch Man?"..."One Punch Man?"..."ONE PUNCH MAN!"

"Huh?" Saitama sounded as he looked towards the door.

Standing there with a shirt and lab coat stained in blood was doctor Genus, though given his calm demeanor and relaxed expression, it was obvious no bad news was to be given.

"We've taken of his injuries with no issue." He spoke once he had gotten his attention "He's been heavily sedated for the sake of rest, but all in all he'll be perfectly fine once he wakes up." He explained.

"Oh, that's great to hear." Saitama admitted with a sigh of relief "So how long will he be out?" He asked.

"Only for an hour or two, after which I'd like to run a few basic tests before we release him, just to make sure there's no lasting effect on his physical capabilities such as strength and stamina." Dr. Genus answered.

"So like training?" Saitama questioned.

"Hmm...something like that, but more so just basic things like running a treadmill for a few minutes and lifting something weights." He clarified.

"Ah okay." Saitama replied as he looked at the door "So...should I wait inside the room or?..." He inquired, unsure as to what he should do now.

"Actually you might want to go tell Mutsuko and the others why you're here, as you did just rush in here with your friend heavily injured and bleeding." Dr. Genus suggested.

Taking a moment to look down at himself Saitama just the realized that while he wasn't soaked in blood his suit did have a decent bit on it.

"Oh, right." He said as he looked back to the other "Is there a place I could maybe clean up first?" He asked.

"Certainly, I'll show it to you myself." Dr. Genus offered as he walked away.

Following behind the doctor, Saitama cast one more look at the door before releasing another sigh of relief, thankful that he and Genos had made it just in time.

 _"It's a good thing we decided to drop by King's place today..."_ He thought.


	61. Punch Twenty Five

It was a rare occasion when silence of any kind found it's way into the House of Evolution, normally the place was far too busy and it's occupants far too focused on some task for any kind of lull to occur. But as of now Mutsuko along with her fellow members of the house all sat around in an uneasy silence, as all of them awaited to learn what had become of King. Even though Mutsuko was the only one present who was a close friend to the S class hero and interacted with him on a near daily basis, the other members were still able to show empathy for him. For not too long ago all of them had nearly met their end at the hands of Sea King, so they knew what it was like to be beaten within an inch of their lives.

Now normally if any of them had been brought in with injuries similar to King's they while concerned would not be too worried as they had been genetically designed to survive more than a normal human. And while they all could agree that King did try and do more than most heroes, even more than some of his fellow S class, he still was essentially a normal guy working alongside people who were near gods in terms of power. But even so they did have faith their creator who was a master of genetic science would pull through, because otherwise they would have to face the only other outcome.

And it is due to this that the exact moment Saitama walked into the room that Mutsuko was the first to ask any questions, as her worry was just eating her alive on the inside.

"Saitama!" She exclaimed as she rushed over to him "What happened to King? is he going to be okay? how did he get so badly injured?" Were the first and most important questions she bombarded him with, all the while looking at him with an expression of great concern.

"Mutsuko." Dr. Genus spoke as he stepped into the room just after Saitama "Allow the man to answer but one of your questions first before you assault him with the others." He suggested.

"It's fine." Saitama assured as he briefly looked to the doctor, before looking back to her "Me and Genos were going over to King's to hangout, but on our way there we saw a bunch of people running away like something was happening, when we went to go check it out we found King being held up in the air by some big robot, so we attacked it, freed him, and I brought him here while Genos stayed to finish it off." He explained.

"You mean King tried to fight it on his own?" She asked, seeming to be surprised.

"Seemed like it yeah." Saitama answered with a shrug.

"Why would he do something like that?" Chikara asked, causing all eyes to go to him "Not meaning to insult your friend One Punch Man, but the dude's not that strong, there's no way he could beat a giant robot."

"He does have a point." Bunji agreed as he crossed his arms "Taking on an opponent that clearly had him outclassed in size and power was basically suicidal."

"There's also the fact the robot no doubt had weapons, meaning even if he was a match for it in terms of power he was outclassed by sheer variety of attack." Kamakyuri chimed in.

"Enough." Dr. Genus spoke with authority as he placed his hands behind his back "It doesn't matter if he was outclassed, the fact is that this robot was no doubt a threat to both the people as well as the city, and seeing as how King is the resident S class hero of city M, he no doubt felt it was his responsibility to at least try and keep it from doing any damage or killing anyone, as any proper hero should." He reasoned.

Having silence return for a brief moment as they were all taken aback by the doctor's sudden speech, noticing that everyone had fallen silent because of what he had said doctor Genus the cleared his throat as to try and get the focus off of him.

"At any rate." He spoke whilst clearing his throat, this time closing his eyes as he felt a tad bit embarrassed by his sudden ramble on the ethics of hero work "As for King's current condition he is perfectly fine, he's been sedated to allow a flawless recovery and will awake within the next few hours, upon which he will be given the required tests to assure he's fit for continued duty before he is allowed to leave, you all may visit with him during that time if you so desire." He explained before he turned around "I will be returning to my office to continue my work, One Punch Man feel free to stay as long as you like." He invited before he walked back into the hall.

"Thanks." Saitama replied as the other walked passed him "So, what do you guys do around here to pass the time?" He asked as he honestly didn't want to just sit there and do nothing for the next few hours.

However, instead of answering him right away they all seemed to wait until the doctor was well out of earshot before replying, which he did take notice of.

"Is something wrong?" He asked finding their delayed response to be a little weird.

"Nah, we just didn't want the doctor to hear us." Chikara answered.

"How come?" Saitama inquired.

"Because the doctor doesn't like it when we slack off." Genjiro said with a sigh, earning a nod of agreement from the other members "Not that we try to laze about or anything, but he prefers us to keep busy instead of just sitting around." He explained.

"It's especially been bad since the whole Sea King inciddent." Fujio noted as he looked down to the ground "It's almost like he's scared that if we don't better ourselves then we'll end up like we did then, or even worse."

"Let's not that about that yeah?" Chikara suggested as he walked over to Saitama "No need to make the mood worse than it already is, besides One Punch Man here is looking to us for some ideas on how to kill the time, so that's what we should focus on!" He exclaimed.

Just then a spark of genius ignited itself within Mutsuko's mind, causing her eyes to widen and a massive grin to be plastered on her face.

"I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE CAN DO!" She shouted before she grabbed onto Saitama's hand "COME WITH ME!" She insisted as she led him out of the room.

More so allowing himself to be pulled by the suddenly enthusiastic mosquito woman, the two of them were quickly headed down the hall going further into the facility.

"She's planning to show him her room isn't she?" Atomu asked.

"Yup." Suguru simply answered, as thanks to his psychic abilities he could easily tell what was going on in her mind.

"Think we should go and try to stop her? cause I don't think One Punch Man's gonna be ready for what she'll show him." Bunji said.

"Let's give her a few minutes before we do, this is the first and probably the last time she'll ever get to show him her room, and if we try to stop her it won't be pretty." Kamakyuri replied.

* * *

"Is is just me, or have things been getting a lot more hectic lately?" Marugori wondered aloud, as he walked down the hall with his brother and Vaccine Man.

Though it had only been a few months since the trio had been allowed this second chance at a life outside of crime and destruction, their excellent behavior and work ethic was earning them a great deal of progress towards their freedom. But even with doctor Genus and his clones giving them plenty to do as to keep them busy, they did have moments where nothing was being requested of them, meaning they could do whatever they pleased until told otherwise. Though since they had to stay inside the facility so their whereabouts would never be unknown, this left them with a limited amount of options to spend their free time, and as a result they often just wandered through the halls talking among themselves about whatever came to mind.

"You're not wrong." Vaccine Man spoke as he closed his eyes "Being an apostle of mother Earth herself, I can feel whenever something occurs within in her domain whether it be by land, sea, or air." He explained.

"Whoa, so you can actually feel everything on or in the planet?" Marugori asked.

"If I wanted to yes, but to be honest that get's rather noisy and causes me a slight headache." The other admitted as he kept his eyes closed "Still what you said is true, looking past the invasion that happened a few weeks ago things have been getting more chaotic, yet I do not know why."

"Perhaps it has something to do with One Punch Man, seems like everything nowadays does." Marugori suggested

"That is a fair point." Fukegao chimed in as he put a hand to his chin "But we have to ask ourselves, is the cause for the increase in monster attacks and catastrophes solely because of him, or would they have proceeded even if he weren't around?" He questioned.

"I most certainly would have." Vaccine Man said as he opened his eyes to look at them "My existence was a planned one, mother Earth had been creating me for quite some time in case mankind didn't change their ways, so even if One Punch Man weren't around I still would've appeared and carried out my mission." He explained.

"And we probably would've gone on to rule the world too." Marugori admitted "I mean, I always wanted to be the strongest and Fukegao was always working on the ultimate steroid, so it was inevitable we'd wind up where we did."

"True, but then there was the alien's leader Lord Boros, he did say he had been given a prophecy which brought him here, that very prophecy was tied to One Punch Man." Fukegao argued.

"But that's all still tied to him, in the argument of would it still have happened if he wasn't here I do think it wouldn't, as they wouldn't have come here without that prophecy." Vaccine Man reasoned.

Unfortunately for the trio, before they could continue their conversation they suddenly heard something coming towards them from down the hall, causing them to stop. Yet before they could even ask themselves what was causing that sound, they saw emerging from the darkness of the corridor at high speeds was Mutsuko pulling the very topic of their discussion right behind her.

"One Punch Man?!" They all asked in unison, as they had no idea he was even here.

Sadly, their surprised inquiry went unheard of by the duo along with the fact they were even standing there in the hall, as Mutsuko was so focused on taking him to her room that they barreled right past them, causing them to be pushed against the walls.

"What...was that about?" Vaccine Man asked, being the first to voice their shared confusion.

"I...have absolutely no idea..." Fukegao replied as they watched them reach the end of the corridor then take a right into another one.

* * *

One might think that since Mutsuko was the only female member of the house that the door to her room would be easy to spot, as in most cases whether they be fiction or even some in reality girls are often color coded with the likes of purple, pink, or yellow as they are seen as very feminine colors. But as Saitama currently stood outside of her room as she had gone in first to make sure it was perfect for him to see, he not only noticed her door was the exact same color as blood, but it was also the most detailed out of the others' doors. Looking at all the doors that lined the corridor he was able to easily tell who lived in each one as each had a unique color to make it stand out. The first of them was Chikara's which was at the beginning of the hallway, and while through process of elimination he was able to figure out who it belonged to, at first glance he was a bit confused as the door's color was a combination of purple and green instead of brown like he thought.

Then there was Atomu and Bunji's doors, both were more fitting for the respective members as Atomu's was mostly black with silver accents while Bunji's was orange with accents of black and yellow. After them were Suguru, Fujio, and Genjiro's rooms, all of which matched the colors of their bodies, though Fujio's looked as though it had just recently been repainted to match his improved form. As for Kamakyuri's door it was actually next to Mutsuko's and also had more detail to it than the others, though it came second in comparison to her's. For starters both doors were not the colors of either of them as Mutsuko's was the same as blood while Kamakyuri's was still green, which he admittedly thought was odd since the praying mantis was now blue.

But beyond their colors both doors also had their names written on them, Mutsuko's was cleanly applied into the door while Kamakyuri's seemed to be a bit more messy, which was due to the fact he had tried to do it himself with his blades. The final detail for both doors was they both had stickers put upon them, but unlike Kamakyuri's that only had a few which was probably her doing, Mutsuko's was near completely covered . And while there were some that read "One Punch Man" as he expected, he was surprised to find that the rest were of their friends such as "Tornado of Terror" for Tatsumaki, "Blizzard of Hell" for Fubuki, and "King" for...well that one was actually self explanatory. Overall the more he looked at it the more it just seemed to really show off how expressive and vibrant of a person Mutsuko was, making it all the more fitting for her.

"Okay!" She exclaimed from inside, gaining his attention "You can come in now!" She invited.

Even though he knew she wasn't going to do anything weird nor would her room be some creepy obsessive shrine, Saitama was still a little hesitant to enter as he was fully expecting to find a good deal of merchandise of his decorating the space. But once he opened the door and stepped inside, he found that not only was the amount of items related to him quite scarce, but that the room itself was indeed a shrine but not to him. Looking around at everything she had adorning the walls and her furniture, the whole room could be simply described as a dedication to all things hero related, from newspaper clippings and magazine articles, to autographed memorabilia and merchandise, she had something of everything. As for the room itself, it was a very spacious room that was painted in a slightly brighter tone of red than the door which made the space feel vibrant and alive, she had one bed that was opposite from the door with two bedside tables pressed against it on both sides, she had a wardrobe in the right corner with a wall mirror resting on the wall next to it as well as a closet which also seemed spacious, and finally in the left corner near the door she had a fairly big television with setup complete with surround sound stereo.

"So..." She spoke as she held out her arms to gesture to the room "What do you think?" She asked.

"It's...interesting." Saitama replied as he stepped in further while continuing to look around "But how come there's so much hero stuff?" He asked.

"Well...it's because I want to be the best hero I can be." She answered as she too looked around the room "You were the first hero we were ever introduced to because you were the one the doctor was most interested in, and while you are still my absolute FAVORITE hero, after I became a hero too I started to see just how strong the other heroes were and I wanted to be like them, so that maybe one day I could be as amazing and awesome as you are Saitama." She explained as she looked back at him "As for the merchandise, posters, newspaper clippings, and etcetera, I just collect it because I like too, everyone's got a hobby and this one is mine." She added before seeming to realize something "Oh right! I wanted to show you something!" She exclaimed before she hurried over to her closet.

Opening it up and stepping inside, he would only have to wait a few minutes before she came back out with something he could have never expected. In her arms she carried an incredibly large display that seemed to be a recreation of his apartment, and while at first it seemed like this was the more obsessive fan part of her that he was dreading he would see. But as she set it down on her bed and he got a better look at it, he noticed that while it was in fact a recreation of his apartment, the most impressive detail about it was what was at the display's center. Sitting around his table were little clay figures that resembled not only them but all of their friends, Mumen Rider included.

And while they weren't the most detailed clay figures to ever be made they were still very impressive, as she managed to not only get the clothes and proportions fairly accurate but also the way everyone would be sitting and what they would probably be doing.

"I know what you're thinking, but I promise I didn't make this to be weird." Mutsuko assured as she put her hands behind her back "I made this after we first became friends because I never had a friend outside of the house before, and when everyone else became my friend I just wanted to have something to sorta preserve the moment you know?" She explained as she pointed to Kaemon and Mumen Rider "And I've even added Kaemon and the bicycle dude because they came in later, overall I just wanted something to remind of one of the best things about my life, my new friends." She concluded.

Taking a moment more to look it over and think on what she had told him, while this was the first time he had ever heard of someone doing something like this to essentially keep a memory alive, kinda like how a picture would do the same, he still had to admit that this wasn't just impressive but it was also just another example of how unique of person Mutsuko was, beyond the obvious of course.

"That's really cool Mutsuko." He told her as he gave her a thumbs up "Great job." He praised.

Feeling her eyes widen like they never had before, it took every bit of strength and will power she had within her to keep from jumping up and down screaming with glee at the praise she had just been given. But before either of them could continue to talk about the display or her room any further, the sound of running footsteps could be heard coming towards them, followed by the door suddenly being opened by one of the doctor's clones.

"One Punch Man!" He exclaimed, seeming to be out of breath "You have to come with me right now!"

"Why? is something wrong?" Saitama asked.

"It's King! he's awake and...you just need to come see for yourself!" The clone exclaimed.

Even though the likelihood of something bad being the reason for the other's urgency, Saitama still made sure to take this seriously and without another question simply did as was requested and took his leave of the room.

"You'll want to come too Mutsuko." The clone told her after regaining a bit of his composure.

"I will, I'll just be a moment." She replied, earning a nod in response.

Watching the clone close the door and follow Saitama down the corridor, once Mutsuko was certain neither were going to suddenly come back she picked the display up and carried it back into her closet. After this was done she then came back out with a near mountain of One Punch Man plush toys and other related merchandise in her arms, before she promptly put it all on her bed.

"There, I'll put it all back where it belongs later." She told herself as she then quickly exited the room.

* * *

After having caught up with Saitama and the doctor's clone, they all went on to walk through the facility until they reached a door that had the words "Test Observation" written on it's surface. Proceeding to open the door all three of them stepped inside where they found doctor Genus, some of his clones, and the other members of the house all watching something through the observation glass.

"What's going on?" Saitama asked once they were inside, gaining their attention.

"Ah you brought them, well done forty two." Dr. Genus said before he walked over "One Punch Man, Mutsuko, first of all I want to assure you nothing bad has happened to King." He told them.

"But something has happened right?" Saitama asked.

"Yes, but I think you will agree with me that what has happened is something truly remarkable." Dr. Genus replied as he walked back over to the front of the glass "Please, see for yourselves." He invited as he gestured to the window.

Walking over beside and looking into the adjacent room, both Mutsuko and Saitama saw a shirtless King running laps around a track, and from how much he was sweating it seemed as though he had been running for some time.

"Okay...so King's...running..." Saitama noted as he crossed his arms "Is there something else we're supposed to be seeing?" He asked.

"One Punch Man, not only is he fully awake which wasn't expected for at least two more hours, but in the span of just ten minutes he has ran over a hundred laps." Dr. Genus revealed causing both of their jaws to drop.

"WHAT?!" They both shouted in surprise as they looked at him quickly before looking back to King "BUT...HOW?!" They asked, once again in unison.

"Unfortunately we have only just begun the tests so we can't be completely certain as to how he has suddenly become more capable in terms of physical ability, however as you can see he isn't running at an abnormal speed which is only because he's been going for ten minutes." Dr. Genus explained as one of his clones handed him a clipboard "When he first started to run he managed to clear twenty five laps in the span of two minutes and forty five seconds, after that as he used more of his energy his clear times grew are still impressive, he cleared fifty at five minutes and thirty three seconds, seventy five laps at eight minutes and twenty four seconds, and finally a hundred laps at ten minutes and fifty two seconds." He continued as he handed the clipboard back to his clone "After he completed the required laps we asked him to continue for as long as he was able before taking a break before the next test." He concluded.

Completely at a loss for words both Mutsuko and Saitama simply stared at their friend, utterly baffled as to how he went from surviving a near death experience to getting an increase in power.

"You...said you aren't certain..." Saitama spoke as he looked towards the doctor "But do you have like a theory or something?" He asked.

"Actually yes I do." The other admitted as he placed his hands behind his back "To be brief One Punch Man, me and Metal Knight have come up with a theory that not only could explain this miraculous change in King, but could also be the key to how you've become as strong as you are." He explained.

"Seriously?!" Saitama questioned, being genuinely shocked.

"Indeed, though much like with King here our theory doesn't have much in terms of evidence to support it at the moment, but the essential idea is that every living creature has instilled within them something we call a "Limiter", this Limiter we believe is every creature's own established limitations that if they surpass them they can achieve more than they ever could before previously, we also believe that each being's limiter is unique to them meaning that in order to surpass it each creature would have to reach a specific threshold before any change can be seen." Dr. Genus explained.

"So you think King has broken his Limiter then?" Saitama inquired.

"No, if he did I think he would be more so on par with you in terms of power than he is now." Dr. Genus replied "Even so, if the Limiter theory is true, this would be the first documented case of someone who has become more powerful because they are drawing closer to breaking their Limiter, and if that is the case then King could possibly become even more powerful than this." Dr. Genus stated.

Once again being at a loss for words Saitama looked back in at King who by now had finally gotten tired of running and was now taking a breather by sitting on the ground, and while he in no way saw himself as a teacher or mentor to King, he did admittedly feel proud of his friend.

 _"Good Job King."_ He thought with a small smile.


	62. Punch Twenty Six

Nature is a curious thing, it can create something miraculous and beautiful such as a caterpillar entering the stage from which it will become a beautiful butterfly, yet at the same time it can create something horrifying such as a cobra so deadly it kills thousands of people on average every year. But sometimes nature manages to create something that is both miraculous and terrifying, a perfect example of this would be the sudden power increase King seemed to receive after his near death experience. Somehow still unknown to doctor Genus and his clones, King went from an above average man with impressive strength and stamina, to someone who truly was on par with some of the strongest heroes around. Given of course he was nowhere near Saitama's level of strength as that was still thought to be impossible, but it could not be denied that he seemed to be better in nearly every physical feat.

First there was the mandatory hundred laps he had to run to check his stamina, which he managed to do in just ten minutes. Then he was required to lift weights in order to see if there was any lingering issues with his muscles, and not only were there no issues but he by accident crushed the smaller weights when he picked them up, catching both him and the others by surprise. After that a small break was taken as to readjust the equipment to ensure no further damages would happen, once this was done his next test was for endurance and it required him to do a hundred push ups. And while nothing absurd happened such as if he were to create craters when he started, he did actually manage to leave a very light imprint of his hands in the floor once he was finished, which could easily just be buffed out or filled in to fix.

From there forward the rest of the tests were very simple, they had him run a treadmill though unlike the laps he was just meant to go at a leisurely pace so they could monitor his heart rate and vitals more effectively, they had him do some more basic exercises like jumping jacks and sit ups to further verify their information was accurate, and finally he was asked to do things that simply checked his lung capacity and ability to maintain balance, which he passed with flying colors.

All in all the tests themselves as well as the results for each one only took around forty minutes to be complete, and once he was done he was shown by one of the clones to a nearby shower to clean himself off before he left the facility, leaving the others who had observed his performance to talk among themselves.

"Man he really did get stronger!" Mutsuko exclaimed in amazement, as she could hardly believe that was the same King.

"You didn't clone him did you?" Saitama asked accusingly as he pointed towards the doctor.

"Of course I didn't, and to be honest I'm a bit offended you would assume that so easily." Dr. Genus replied as he pushed up his glasses "All we did was accelerate his body's natural healing capabilities via a gene therapy bath, everything else we just witnessed was purely of his own capability." He assured.

"Still, it's wild to think that a person got stronger after having a near death experience." Bunji admitted.

"Yeah, it's almost like instead of One Punch Man's Limiter thing or whatever, King can only get stronger when he nearly dies." Chikara suggested.

Upon hearing that everyone cast him a glare that read "Are you serious?", making him realize how that came off.

"I-It wasn't a joke!" He quickly said in defense "I-I just mean that he's been training for a while right? yet this is the first time he's gotten significantly more powerful." He explained.

"Actually, Chikara has a point." Atomu said as he looked towards his creator "Doctor, is there any way your Limiter theory could also apply to near death experiences?" He asked.

"That...is something to consider." Dr. Genus admitted as he put a hand to his chin "There have been documented cases where people who have strokes or wake up from comas suddenly can do something they've never done before, so the notion that a body in response to surviving a near fatal encounter would automatically better itself is an interesting notion."

"Well whatever the reason why King is stronger, the fact is now he's actually able to hold his own against really big threats!" Mutsuko pointed out.

"That's true, he's already pretty good at fighting and moving around, so now that he's faster and stronger he'll actually be able to fight back." Saitama agreed.

"Perhaps you should discuss this with him One Punch Man, he won't be in the shower for much longer and I have to examine the data we collected, so you can wait for him in the recreation area." Dr. Genus suggested.

"Sounds good." Saitama simply replied as he turned to leave.

Walking out of the room with Mutsuko and the other members following behind, doctor Genus was left with his clones.

"Should we contact Metal Knight and inform him of this?" One of his clones asked once they were alone.

"Not yet, let's be certain we have something worth showing to him first, then if we do we'll share it with him." Dr. Genus decided, receiving nods from all of his clones.

* * *

It's always strange when the entire mood of a room is made completely different from what it was prior, such was the case with the recreation area as before it was filled with a somewhat sorrowful feeling, but now as everyone awaited for King to join them it was near bursting with excited chatter and banter. None more so than Mutsuko, as she was currently bombarding Saitama with countless possibilities that King's newfound power could allow.

"Now we can start pulling off combo moves!" She exclaimed excitedly as she put a finger to her chin in thought "I'm thinking we do something like where I fly King up into the air, then we come back down super fast and I let him go so he can deliver an ultra powerful punch or something!" She suggested.

"Wouldn't that work better with me though? and what about the others?" He asked.

"Well there aren't really a lot of options available for combo moves in our group, Tatsumaki's usually just doing her own thing, same goes for Genos too, and while it'd be AMAZING to do a combo move with you, you'd probably end up accidentally destroying something even if you were careful." She explained.

"Yeah probably." He agreed with a shrug.

"So that just leaves me, Fubuki, and King to try and figure out some awesome power moves we could maybe do." She listed.

"What about Kaemon and Mumen?" He inquired.

"Who?...OH you mean bicycle guy right?" She asked, receiving a nod in response "Well the bicycle guy just like joined the group and I'm pretty sure all he can do is ride a bicycle, also Kaemon doesn't count cause they're not a hero." She explained.

"Well what if they became a hero?" He suggested.

"I mean...they could I guess...but then they'd be in danger a lot and stuff..." She lazily replied as she looked off to the side.

In truth Tatsumaki wasn't the only one who held concern for Kaemon especially after the Sea King inciddent, and while the green haired esper would deny it to her grave that she looked after them like she did with Fubuki, everyone excluding Mumen Rider as he hadn't be around them too much yet could easily see past that. And while Saitama as well did feel a little protective over the young sea folk, he wasn't worried about them becoming a hero as Sea King was just too strong for them, if they became a hero they'd be taking on threats more suited to them and the class they'd be put in. But that was another topic for another time.

"Anyways, getting back to topic." She quickly said as to avoid that subject "With King being faster, stronger, and more durable, there's a whole range of cool stuff we can try to pull off, especially if he's up for it."

"What about Fubuki, does she know?" He asked.

"Yeah we've talked about it a little when we meet for-" She began to say, only to stop herself as she was about to reveal their club "...lunch." She finished, hoping he wouldn't question it.

Thankfully as if the universe was looking aid in covering up her slip of the tongue, the sound of the door opening caught everyone's attention as the man of the hours stepped into the room.

"Hey guys." King greeted with a small smile as he gave them a light wave.

"King!" Mutsuko exclaimed as she flew over and pulled him into a hug "You were so amazing in there!" She praised causing his eyes to widen.

"Wait you guys saw that?" He asked as Saitama and the others walked over.

"Mhm! the doctor has an observational room setup so he can monitor the recovering heroes!" She answered as she released him from the embrace.

"Gotta say, for a human other than One Punch Man you did pretty good." Chikara complimented with a lightly fist bump to his shoulder.

"Perhaps one day you'll even be as strong as him!" Genjiro exclaimed with excitement, causing King to look off to the side bashfully.

"Nah, I probably got stronger from the gene bath is all." He reasoned as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Afraid not, the gene bath is only designed to restore a person's body back to normal, in no way does it alter your genes." Atomu corrected.

"Which means you have become more powerful on your own! so you could be like One Punch Man someday!" Fujio exclaimed, receiving a collective "Yeah!" from his fellow members.

"You really think so?" He asked, as the thought hadn't crossed his mind.

"Definitely! but before you become insanely powerful like Saitama, we need to talk about combo moves!" Mutsuko replied, before she grabbed onto his arm.

Pulling away from the others so they could begin talking, Saitama simply followed beside King as they seemed to be leaving the room.

"Where're we going?" Saitama asked, unsure as to why they weren't staying.

"If we're gonna talk about combo moves I want to do it somewhere we won't be interrupted, so we're going back to your place!" She answered.

"We could actually go by my place if you want, it's a lot closer." King suggested _"Plus I'll be able to get my game from the bathroom, if it's even still there."_ He thought.

"That sounds like it'd be better, plus me and Genos were already heading there when we found you fighting that robot." Saitama replied.

"Alright then we'll go to King's!" She declared, as they made their way out of the facility.

With a new and improved King in tow the trio would go on to make their way back to City M as to hang out in King apartment. As for what became of Genos during all of this and his battle with G4, that had an ironically similar outcome.

* * *

"Doctor Kuseno." Genos spoke as he entered the aforementioned scientist's workshop, before dropping the severed head of G4 on the ground between them "These are the parts from a robot calling itself machine god G4, it was equipped with tremendous power and advanced artificial intelligence, most of it has been scrapped but if there is anything I can use please do so, I want to become stronger." He explained as he looked to the other.

Though he had already been given a great deal of upgrades and improvements from the good doctor as time has passed, this still didn't keep him from receiving a great deal of damage from his battle with the now deceased G4, as most of his body was seared and broken.

"This...these parts...Genos where in the world did you..." Dr. Kuseno stuttered, before he looked up from the head to Genos "I understand! I will try! you still have room for improvements!" He exclaimed as he put his hands behind his back "But Genos...even if you are the cyborg fighting for justice, you better not push yourself too hard." He warned worriedly.

"No, this is still within the span of my ability." Genos assured.

"What does Saitama have to say about this?" Dr. Kuseno questioned.

"He hasn't said anything." Genos answered.

"Hmm...perhaps then you should bring him next time you come, so that way I might be able to speak with him again." Dr. Kuseno suggested.

"Inside this facility, are you sure?" Genos asked.

"Yes, and by the way Genos." Dr. Kuseno responded, as his expression became serious "The cyborg, the one that took your hometown from you, have you found any clues about it?" He inquireded, managing to surprise the other "I know you've been busy with hero duty lately..."

"About that, I haven't found out anything yet." Genos quickly answered.

"I see." Dr. Kuseno said while closing his eyes, seeming to be a little disappointed.

"But I will definitely seek him out and destroy him with my hands, until there is nothing left." Genos told him, with an intense look of anger and determination present on his face.

 _"Even his hero duty and Saitama cannot make his hatred fade..."_ Dr. Kuseno thought as a sigh escaped him "Genos, I am concerned." He spoke as he reopened his eyes "I've been chasing the cyborg longer than you have, I know better than anyone how dangerous he is, even if you do find him please do not do anything rash and inform me immediately, you are calm and smart but your young mind might lead you to your doom, you are not alone in this fight." He told him.

"Doctor Kuseno, I understand this is our battle, the mad cyborg that has destroyed so many cities and taken so many lives will not prevail." Genos promised.

* * *

Though it had only been a short while since the second attack on City J took place, Geryuganshoop was nearly back to his normal self as the only injuries he sustained this time around were severed limbs. And while for most beings having their limbs severed would be a devastating thing to happen, thanks to his powers and unique biology he was able to easily begin healing them back to their former selves. Though you best believe that Tatsumaki wasn't going to let him forget it anytime soon, as every chance she got she either mocked him for letting himself be injured again so soon, as well as berating him for how stupid he acted. That was just the kind of personality everyone who knew her had to get used to, as she just managed to find the perfect balance between showing she cared and not seeming to care at all.

Luckily though with Fubuki now knowing about his existence she stopped by more often to check up on him, as well as make sure her sister didn't go overboard with her usual act of superiority over everyone. This led to them unintentionally forming their own little group outside of the one they usually formed with the rest of their friends, and while Kaemon and Saitama also knew he existed, they still chose to keep him a secret from the others for a little while just to be on the safe side. But other than Tatsumaki's occasional joke or mean comment about his intelligence, the three of them actually managed to get along perfectly, which could easily be attributed to them all being espers.

"So what's new?" Geryuganshoop asked as he, Tatsumaki, and Fubuki were all sitting on her couch, watching television with snacks and beverage "Anything exciting in the world of heroes?"

"Not really." Fubuki admitted with a bored sigh as she rested her head on her fist "Besides the attack on City J that happened during our vacation, the world's been pretty peaceful."

"Makes life suck for all the C class losers." Tatsumaki joked as she picked a chip up with her powers and put it in her mouth.

"How come?" Geryuganshoop asked.

"Because unlike the rest of us C classes have to meet a weekly quota to stay registered, if they don't meet it then they're booted from the registry." Fubuki explained.

"Yeah, cause they're too weak to move up in the rankings." Tatsumaki chimed in as she popped another chip into her mouth "It's honestly amusing to watch them run around actually looking for trouble."

"I wouldn't go that far, if anything I feel bad that they have to work so hard just to stay registered." Fubuki admitted, causing her sister to sigh.

"Ugh, you really have gotten softer Fubuki." She groaned as she rested her head in her palm "What happened to the importance of strength hm?" She inquired.

"You're one to talk Tatsumaki, considering you hang out with a walking heap of seaweed." Geryuganshoop joked, as he lifted his drink from the table with his powers.

However, the moment he finished his sentence his soda can suddenly exploded, but before any of the carbonated beverage could land anywhere it was all caught by Tatsumaki's esp.

"Say. that. again." She challenged coldly, as she readied to send all of the soda flying towards him.

"Okay...I see I've found a rather sensitive topic with you..." He realized as Fubuki gave her sibling a disapproving look.

"Come now Tatsumaki, he was only joking." She told her.

"Don't care." Tatsumaki replied as she moved the soda over to the sink and let it fall, while the remains of the now busted soda can were moved to the trash.

"You seem awfully protective over them, any particular reason?" He asked as she turned the faucet on to wash the soda down the drain.

"Nope, and if you know what's good for you you'll shut it." She warned.

Knowing well that it was in his best interest to simply leave it alone, before any of them could change the topic to hopefully lighten the mood again, Tatsumaki's cellphone rang.

"Hello?" She answered, as she picked it up from the table that was beside the couch.

"Um...hey Tatsumaki..." The voice of Kaemon greeted.

"Huh, speak of the devil." Fubuki said once she and Geryuganshoop heard who it was.

"What's up Kaemon?" Tatsumaki asked, ignoring her sister's comment.

"Well...uh...you see...that's why I'm calling you..." They replied, seeming to be nervous about something.

"Kaemon, is something wrong?" She asked, which in turn made Fubuki and Geryuganshoop more interested in the conversation.

"I...think you need to come see for yourself...it's really hard to explain it right now..." They told her before the call suddenly ended.

Unsure as to what was going on, the moment the call ended Tatsumaki put her cellphone into her pocket and got up from the couch, heading straight for the door.

"Wait! I'll come with you!" Fubuki said as she got up and followed her.

"I'll stay here and hold the fort down." Geryuganshoop told them, as they headed out the door.

* * *

Not wanting to waste any time Tatsumaki simply took to the sky and brought Fubuki along with her. And even though she had experienced it quite a few times, Fubuki still found being up so high with no control over herself a little nerve wracking, even if it was her sister at the wheel.

"You know it's probably nothing too serious right?" Fubuki asked, assuming Kaemon had called them about something human related.

"We'll see when we get there." Her sister simply replied, seeming to focus on flying.

Even though there was the possibility this was something serious, it still made Fubuki smile at how her sister was truly beginning to care for others beyond just the two of them. However, once the duo reached City Z and began approaching the apartment building, their eyes went wide with shock and horror at what they saw. Pressed into the font of the building was the body of a massive bird, a crow or raven judging by the feathers. And while this in of itself was alarming it was where the bird's head was that truly worried them, as it's head was shoved into the building right where Saitama and Kaemon's apartments were. Without any hesitation whatsoever the green haired esper shoved the bird out of the building and into the street, where yet another shocking discovery was made.

Somehow the bird's head had been separated from it's body, how this was possible neither sister knew as Tatsumaki hadn't been the one to do it. But as they looked back to the apartment to see if they could find the answer, they saw Kaemon emerging from the massive hole it had made, with their seaweed hair covered in it's blood.

"H-Hey Tatsumaki, Fubuki..." They greeted with an awkward wave and smile "G-Glad you could make it here so quickly..."


	63. Punch Twenty Seven

When someone hears news or perhaps a rumor they typically will say something like "I heard it through the grapevine", which is basically a social circle or chain of gossipers who pass word from person to person. Now there is nothing wrong with talking among those close to you or having "connections" that keep you informed as to what's happening in the world and your community, but depending on the people involved as well as the nature of the information, it can easily be taken out of context or given a much more drastic sense of importance than it actually has. And unfortunately for the world's yellow clad red gloved one punching super hero this was another aspect of his celebrity life that he absolutely despised, whether it be something about him being in a relationship which never held any truth, or perhaps it was something more absurd like a new secret training regime, anything pertaining to him and his life managed to find it's way around like a rampant spreading disease.

So you can imagine that as people who weren't even nearby his apartment building saw a massive bird flying through the sky before it dove head first into the building itself, that they were all quite panicked. And word of the inciddent was sure to spread like an uncontrollable wildfire through both the populace and the heroes. But before the news of the inciddent could pick up speed and attract all kinds of attention there was still the matter of how this all came to happen, which Tatsumaki and Fubuki were trying to find out by conversing with the one person who was in the building at the time, which they were doing inside one of the still intact apartments.

"Let me get this straight." Tatsumaki spoke as she crossed her arms "You were just lying around doing nothing, then all of a sudden that bird just crashed into the building and out of instinct you attacked it?" She asked.

"Pretty much." Kaemon replied with a shrug of their shoulders "It didn't say anything either, but then again I guess it really couldn't have since my hair was kinda stabbing it's neck." They recalled with an awkward proud smile.

"That...doesn't make sense." Fubuki admitted as she put a hand to her chin "Monsters never attack City Z because they know Saitama lives here, yet this one for some reason not only decided to attack but specifically went for where he lives." She went on as she looked to her sister "What do you think Tatsumaki?" She asked.

"It was probably just some dumb monster." She answered nonchalantly with a shrug of her own "Even if Kaemon weren't here to kill it Saitama if he had been home would've, and if neither he nor Kaemon were here to deal with it then it's attack would still be wasted, as nothing would've happened other than it's head getting shoved into the building." She explained.

"Still, the fact that this monster was so brazen as to just attack his apartment like this is strange, I think we should tell the association." Fubuki suggested.

"Oh believe me they already know, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if every news outlet in the world doesn't know about this." Tatsumaki replied as she stood up "If anything we should try to find Saitama before he finds out, cause I can guarantee he won't be happy when he does." She said as she headed for the door, Fubuki following after.

"He and Genos said they were gonna hang out at King's today, so you might wanna check there first." Kaemon suggested.

"Sounds good." Tatsumaki replied as she opened the door.

Yet instead of walking out immediately which both her sister and Kaemon expected, she looked back over her shoulder at the young sea folk.

"What're you doing?" She asked.

"Huh?" They sounded in confusion.

"You aren't staying here, so come on." She told them, only confusing them more.

"Why not?" They asked causing her to sigh.

"Will you just get up and come on already?!" She insisted.

Knowing it would be unwise to have her repeat herself a third time Kaemon quickly got up from their spot on the floor and hurried out the door, being followed out by the two sisters. Once outside Tatsumaki then used her powers to lift them into the sky and take off towards City M.

 _ **"What was that all about?"**_ Fubuki asked her sibling via telepathy as they flew/

 _ **"What was what?"**_ Her sister replied.

 _ **"Why did you insist on Kaemon coming with us? they would've been fine on their own."**_ Fubuki inquired.

 ** _"Because they're a monster and if any other heroes show up they would've thought they had something to do with the attack, even though there's a giant dead bird laying in front of the building."_** Tatsumaki explained.

 _ **"Ah, so you were concerned about their safety."**_ Fubuki said causing her sister to glare at her.

 _ **"NO! DON'T BE RIDICULOUS! I just didn't want any idiots to pick a fight with them and then get themselves killed, that's all!"**_ She insisted as she turned her head _**"Now keep quiet until we get there!"**_ She ordered.

Rolling her eyes at how her sister still sought to deny she was capable of caring about others beyond the two of them, Fubuki did as she was told and simply looked ahead as they flew. Meanwhile over the course of their short conversation, Kaemon who was flying behind the two of them couldn't help but be confused at why their expressions had changed during that time.

 _"Did they say something?"_ They wondered, as even with Tatsumaki's esp helping to block the wind that blew past them it was still quite loud.

* * *

"What about the uppercut of justice?" Mutsuko suggested, though it was with a mouthful of food.

After making it back to King's place the trio of heroes decided that the first and most important thing they should do was to get something to eat. And even though King had gotten much stronger after his ordeal his appetite managed to remain the same, meaning there'd be plenty of food for both Saitama and Mutsuko to help themselves to.

"How would that one work?" King asked as she swallowed her food, then proceeded to slam a hand down on the tabletop.

"I would take the bad guy into the air, bring them back down super fast, then you deliver an uppercut right to their face!" She explained with zest.

"That sounds pretty cool." Saitama chimed in, also with a mouthful of food.

"Right? it'd be SO cool!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, but it'd be pretty hard to pull off." King debated as he readied a bite on his fork "Not only would I have to land it, but you'd have to be going at just the right speed to where it has power, but when you let go of the enemy they don't just go flying right into the ground before I can even hit them." He explained.

"Technical stuff, we can work that out with some practice bad guys!" She suggested.

"Wouldn't we kill a few of them before we got it right though?" He asked.

"So?" She asked causing him to sigh.

"Saitama back me up here." He said as he moved his fork to his mouth.

"Eh, it depends." Saitama said with a shrug as he swallowed his food "If it's something like a mugging or a robbery, then yeah you probably shouldn't do it, but if it's a monster or something than I think it'd be fine." He reasoned.

"Ugh fine, then how about this one?" She began as she held up her hands.

Unfortunately for the eager mosquito, before she could go on to explain the fifth combo move she had thought up on their way over the door to King's apartment suddenly opened, followed by Tatsumaki, Fubuki, and Kaemon all coming through.

"Good, you guys are here." She said as they walked in, the door closing behind them as they did.

"How did you?..." King asked as they approached the table.

"Please, you think a door is gonna keep me out?" She replied as she sat down next to the right of Saitama, while Fubuki sat to his left.

"What're you guys doing here?" Saitama asked, being the first to voice the question they'd all been thinking.

"We came to tell you some bad news Saitama." Fubuki answered.

"What kind of bad news?" He inquired as he looked at her with a raised brow.

"The kind that involves your apartment being destroyed." Tatsumaki answered casually, causing his, King, and Mutsuko's eyes to widen.

"WHAT?!" They shouted in unison, which in turn caused her to sigh.

"Ask Kaemon, they'll tell you the story." She told them as she began to help herself to the food that was laid out on the table.

Immediately shifting their shocked gazes to the seaweed haired monster, who had helped themselves to the food the moment they sat down, Kaemon looked was in the middle of taking a bite when they looked towards them.

"A giant bird flew into the building, and I killed it." They explained in a short and simple fashion, before going on to eat the food that was wrapped in kombu.

"A giant bird? seriously?" Saitama asked as he looked back to Tatsumaki with a look of disbelief.

"It's true, huge raven or something, luckily Kaemon managed to cut it's head off." Tatsumaki replied as she began to eat.

"Whoa really?!" Mutsuko asked as she looked towards Kaemon with a look of excitement "You cut a giant bird's head off?!"

"It wasn't like, clean or anything." They replied as they looked off to the side "When it busted through the wall I just kinda shot my kombu at it and hit it's neck from a bunch of different angles, then when Tatsumaki tried to move it to the street it's head just kinda remained in the building." They explained.

"Still that's amazing Kaemon!" She complimented "I mean, you took a giant monster's head clean off it's shoulders, that's really impressive!" She continued to praise.

"So there's a giant dead bird head in my apartment?" Saitama asked, still focusing on the fact his home was destroyed.

"Oh quick crying baldy." Tatsumaki replied with an eye roll as she patted him on the shoulder "You know the association's gonna take care of all the damages, hell they might upgrade your rinky dinky little place to something better." She said.

"Oh right the association, they're probably gonna ask questions about what happened." King realized as he looked at Kaemon "What're we gonna do though when they find out Kaemon's living next door?" He asked.

"Would they do something?" Kaemon asked, admittedly a little concerned.

"I doubt it, you came with us to the S class meeting when the invasion happened, so everyone else can vouch that you're not like the other monsters out there." Tatsumaki assured.

"Still, this is like the first time ever a monster attacked City Z, let alone Saitama's apartment, don't you think they'd assumed that Kaemon might've had something to do with it?" King suggested.

"Oh right, like Kaemon's some big evil mastermind who orchestrated a giant bird to attack the building, only then to kill it when it did, makes a LOT of sense." She replied, trying to be as sarcastic as humanly possible.

"Yeah, there's nothing to worry about." Saitama agreed as he looked down at his plate "Besides, if someone tries to blame them I can just say otherwise and they'll believe it." He suggested.

"That's true, I don't think anyone would argue against anything Saitama would have to say," Fubuki agreed.

"Of course not, everyone's too scared he might flick them on the nose and blow apart their head to argue with him." Tatsumaki said as she patted his shoulder once more "Luckily we know better so we can argue with him all we want."

"Still, even if everyone doesn't ask any questions about Kaemon, they're gonna want to know why the bird attacked in the first place." King said.

"Does a dumb giant bird monster HAVE to have a reason to do something stupid?" Tatsumaki asked.

"Well...no." King answered.

"I rest my case then." She replied as she took a bite of her food.

"But what if there is something more to it than just a random monster attack?" He argued.

"Like what? a group of monsters that have banded together to try and take down Saitama?" She suggested as she swallowed her food, only to laugh immediately after "Is THAT what you're implying?" She asked.

"I dunno, it could be possible." He said.

"Even IF there was a group of monsters out there who were stupid enough to think they could stand a chance against him, don't you think they'd send something better than a bird?" She asked.

"She does have a point." Mutsuko chimed in "If I were to try and attack Saitama, not that I ever would, I'd go all out from the get go as that'd be my best and only option." She reasoned.

"True, if someone did want to hurt Saitama even if that were possible, their best attack would be their strongest as everything else would just fail." Fubuki agreed.

"Even then it'd just be a waste of time though, right cue ball? Tatsumaki asked.

"Probably." Saitama simply replied with a shrug "To be honest, the only time I've had to try and win a fight in a while was against that Boros guy, but even then it didn't take much to beat him."

"See? even he admits that there'd be nothing to worry about." She said as she resumed eating.

Even though King still thought the whole thing was a bit odd they did make a good argument, even if somehow a bunch of monsters had teamed up try and take on Saitama it's not like it'd ever work, even an alien who had conquered most of outer space barely held his own, so the chances of there being someone out there who could pose a threat were next to none. But even so, to say there could never be anyone who was capable of challenging him, would be a dangerous assumption to make.

* * *

"N-No...p-please..." Battery Man begged as he laid on the ground, beaten and battered within an inch of his life "D-Don't kill me..."

Even though many C class heroes aspire to climb the ranks as to become more famous and be better paid they rarely ever respond to incidents that exceed their capabilities. So when word spread of some punk who was going around from city to city beating up anyone ranked in class C, they reasoned that if a bunch of the got together then they'd have no issue taking them down. That was the idea anyways, but the moment they tracked the culprit down and tried to attack him, they soon discovered that they weren't some punk looking to make a name for themselves, but were something far worse.

"Kill you? why would I do that?" They asked as they squatted down beside them "There'd be no point in killing you, anyone can do that, it's a lot more terrifying if you live to tell people about this." They explained

"Y-You're sick..." Battery Man replied, causing a smile to appear on their face.

"I'm sick? what about you?" They asked as they gestured to his attire "You call yourself a hero? really? I barely did anything to beat you and your friends, some hero you turned out to be." They taunted as they stood up "You're lucky though, if you actually put up a fight you might've gotten yourself killed, so in the end it all worked out for the best." They reasoned.

"Y-You won't get away with this..." Battery Man told them as they started to walk away "Once the association finds out, more heroes will come after you..." He threatened, causing the other to laugh.

"You act like that's supposed to scare me!" They exclaimed as they looked back at him, a twisted grin stretching from ear to ear present on their face "If anything that's EXACTLY what I want, send every hero you've got after me!" They challenged before walking away.

Leaving Battery Man and the other heroes who had been present lying there for someone else to find, the assailant with but a casual pace went on their way.

"They can send all the heroes they've got, C class, B class, A class, hell even S class, I don't care!" They said to themselves as they looked to the sky "All of it will make good practice for when I challenge him."


	64. Valentine's Special: Tatsumaki

Valentine's day, for most it's a day where love is at full bloom as couples go out on extravagant dates, swooning admirers confess their affections for their crushes, and long lasting relationships rekindle that raging flame of passion in a day of intimacy and sensuality. Then there are those who absolutely despise Valentine's day as they have no one to share it with and are left alone, while others who also despise the holiday dislike it because they think it's nothing more than a scam to get people to spend far too much money on jewelry and gift cards. But then there were the very few select people like Tatsumaki, who HATED the holiday with such a murderous passion that if it were a person she wouldn't hesitate to strangle them until she broke their neck. Though it wasn't because she never had plans or dates for the holiday, it was because she despised people as a norm but on days like Valentine's they greatly annoyed her, with all their cute pet names and lovey dovey bullshit as she would call it, the whole day for her was just another tiring experience she had to endure.

Sadly for the green haired esper love works in the strangest yet most powerful ways, as this year she found herself actually planning out how to spend Valentine's day with the only person she'd ever consider doing so with, Saitama. But as one could guess the bald strong man of the world also didn't care for Valentine's day, this had always been the case even before he became a hero, but after he did he received trucks upon trucks filled with gifts, love letters, and so on from his female fans, causing him to completely hunker down in his apartment until the day had passed. Which is exactly why as she planned out her day with him, she knew she couldn't treat this like a date nor could she call it that in front of him, if she wanted to make the most of it she needed to just treat it like a casual day of hanging out and nothing else. Thankfully she was not alone in this for she had the aid of her good friend Geryuganshoop, to assist her in formulating an absolute flawless plan that had no weaknesses or oversights whatsoever.

As for how she got him to even humor the idea of helping her with something like this, let alone actually being a part of the plan making process, all she needed to do was threaten to cut off some of his tendrils to make calamari out of them for him to agree. She'd never do something like that of course, but seeing as how he did just get his limbs ripped apart during the second attack on City J, it made for a good fear motivation.

"Alright so!" She spoke as she clapped her hands together "The first thing we need to figure out is how to keep everyone else from showing up and ruining this." She said.

"Do I really have to be a part of this?" Geryuganshoop asked with a sigh as he rested his head on one of his tendrils "I barely know anything about your friends or your planet's customs, if anything I am the LEAST qualified person to be helping you with your plan." He reasoned.

"I can't tell Fubuki or Mutsuko about this because then they'll get on my case about planning a date when we're not supposed to and blah blah blah." She replied with an eye roll "And do I have to remind you what will happen if you refuse to help me hm?" She asked.

"Please, I was afraid at first but there's no way you'd actually-" He began to say, only to be interrupted as a knife flew from her kitchen and went right past his head, going into the wall behind him.

Even though it hadn't been dangerously close when it flew by he still took a quick look behind him at the knife as it just rested there in her wall, before he then refocused his attention to her.

"So...how to keep your friends away is where we're at right?" He asked, causing her to smirk.

"Yup, we need to find a way to make sure me and Saitama aren't interrupted at all for the whole day, that way we can be all alone." She explained.

"What do you plan to do with him though?" He asked as he put a tendril to his chin "You aren't going to try and seduce him are you?" He asked.

"Seduce him, really?" She asked with a deadpanned expression "The only way anyone could seduce Saitama is if they had a blowout sale at some store, and even then the only thing they'd get would be him dragging them along to help him buy as much as he could." She explained as she crossed her legs "To be honest I don't really have anything weird or drastic in mind, I just want to spend the whole day with him without anyone else butting in, I get that then my plan will be successful." She said.

"So you don't plan to try to and further your relationship with him then?" He asked.

"I mean, if that happens somehow I won't be against it, but this is Saitama we're talking about and the chances of us suddenly becoming more than just friends after one day of hanging out, are the like the same chances of another alien invasion happening." She answered "By the way, could there be another invasion?" She asked.

"Highly doubt it, Lord Boros was the strongest person in all of the known universe, well until we found out about Saitama, everyone knew he was coming here to fight someone who he believed could hold their own against him, and since he and the rest of the crew are dead anyone else coming here would have to be a suicide mission." He explained.

"Makes sense." She agreed as she looked up at the ceiling "But getting back on topic, how're we gonna keep the others from ruining everything? any ideas?" She asked.

"Would any of them have any kind of plans that would keep them busy? or could you have them do something that might keep them busy?" He suggested.

"Hmm...not that I can think of...well maybe Fubuki, she usually hangs out with her group on holidays and stuff..." She replied as she continued to stare at the ceiling "...Wait, I got it!" She exclaimed as she looked back at him with widened eyes "YOU can distract them for me!"

"Me?!" He questioned as he pointed a tendril at himself "Aren't I suppose to be a secret? how would exposing myself for the sake of your love life be worthwhile in any way?!" He asked.

"I'm not saying you should expose yourself you dolt, all I'm saying is that you can distract them by using your esp while I hang out with Saitama!" She explained.

"But HOW would I do that? your sister and Kaemon know about me so they'd probably figure out I'm the one distracting them! plus there's also your friend who's a cyborg who'd probably be able to figure it out." He argued.

"Okay first of all me and Genos are NOT friends." She said with a very serious tone and a furrowed brow "And as for Fubuki and Kaemon we can put you into a situation where they wouldn't think it's you, but something else." She explained.

"Oh like what hm? do you plan to send them to a haunted building or something, then have me hide somewhere and make it seem like the place actually IS haunted?" He asked.

Taking a moment to consider what he just said, as that idea continued to float around in her head a devious grin slowly made it onto her face.

"Oh no, you are NOT stuffing me into some rundown shack and have me act as a ghost, that is where I draw the line!" He insisted.

In response to this, the remainder of Tatsumaki's knives as well as her forks all suddenly flew from the kitchen and past him into her wall, where they not only made a perfect outline of his body but a few of them were also placed in specific areas, such as his eyes, head, one for each of his tendrils, and the center of his body where she guessed his heart was.

"So...should I be a silent ghost or one that makes noises and does a creepy voice?" He asked, causing her devious grin to return.

With her plan well on it's way to being perfect Tatsumaki with a reluctant Geryuganshoop flew around in search of the perfect place for him to haunt. As for how she would get the others to go along with this, she planned to come up with some made up story about how a couple had died and on Valentine's day their souls could be found wandering through the building, and if anyone should disturb them they'll be haunted. Luckily for them though they managed to find a perfect location to make that story a bit more believable, an abandoned hotel that would've been commonly used by people looking to get "acquainted" with each other. All that was left to do now was to tell everyone, except for Saitama of course, about the place and suggest that for Valentine's day they should all check it out to see who among them was a chicken.

As for how she would explain her and Saitama's absence that would actually be easy, as everyone could buy Saitama not showing up because he'd want to avoid the outside world for day, and for her she could just say the association called her in to deal with some big monster or something. And with that, her master plan to spend the day alone with Saitama was complete, now she just had to wait for the day to be upon them to see it unfold.

* * *

"Ugh, is there NOTHING else on TV?" Saitama groaned as he flipped through the channels.

Like every Valentine's day the chrome domed caped crusader was just sitting in his apartment doing all that he could to pass the time. Unfortunately though as he surfed through the channels hoping to find a movie or a show to keep him distracted, all he found were things relating to the very holiday he hoped to ignore, such as romantic movies, gossip shows that talked about celebrity and hero relationships, game shows that were having couple themed episodes for the day, and etcetera.

 _"I wonder what everyone else is doing?"_ He thought as he rested his head in the palm of his hand _"They probably have plans or something, otherwise they'd coming over right about now."_ He reasoned.

As if someone had been reading his mind a knock suddenly came from his front door.

"Hey bulb head you home?" Tatsumaki shouted from outside, revealing who it was.

"Yeah, come on in!" He shouted back, as he was honestly too comfortable to get up and open the door himself.

Hearing the door open and shut followed by her footsteps, the green haired heroine would come into view as she sat down at his table opposite from him.

"So, whatcha doin?" She asked the moment she sat down, resting her head in the palm of her hand as well.

"Nothing, just waiting for the day to be over." He answered causing her to sigh.

"Yeah I hear ya, there's this parade thing going on back home and it's going RIGHT past my apartment, I had to get the hell out of there before the music and the crowd drove me insane." She explained.

"So you decided to come here?" He asked.

"Where else? it's not like there's anyone hanging around your place anymore, it's nice and quiet here." She answered.

"That is weird though right?" He asked as he looked to his front door "They stopped showing up a few weeks ago, but I don't know why, did something happen?" He questioned as he looked back to her.

"Not that I know of, they probably just realized how annoying they were and decided to give you a break." She suggested.

"Hm, maybe, still it is kinda weird they just stopped coming." He went on.

"Would you rather they came back and started shouting your name over and over again like they did before?" She asked.

" **No.** " He said immediately, expressing it in as serious of a manner as he was physically able to.

"Then stop worrying about it, just enjoy the peace and quiet." She told him.

Deciding to do just that as to not agitate her any further Saitama proceeded to lay down on his back and stare up at the ceiling, as there was nothing else for him to do at the moment. A nice serene silence then came between the two as Tatsumaki also wanted to enjoy how calm and peaceful his apartment was, and while she didn't do something as creepy or weird as staring at him, she did look at him here and there when she was sure he wouldn't notice.

 _"This is good."_ She thought as she closed her eyes to think _"So long as Geryuganshoop keeps the others busy then everything will be fine, speaking of which I should probably send the text message to Fubuki."_ She decided, as she pulled out her phone and began typing.

* * *

"Doesn't look like she's coming either." Fubuki told the others as she finished reading the text her sister sent her.

"Wait what, she's the one that suggested we do this in the first place!" Mutsuko exclaimed as she put her hands on her hips.

Early in the morning Tatsumaki had sent out a text message to everyone in their group, except for Mumen Rider, and told them to come to her city so that they could check out a supposedly haunted hotel. And while everyone even Kaemon thought that this idea was weird in of itself, Fubuki especially found it strange because she knew her sister had a fear of ghosts, so she couldn't understand why she would suggest this.

"Yeah, but there's been reports of a monster out in the country that only S class can handle." Fubuki explained.

"So?! just get someone else to do it! like that weird fat guy!" Mutsuko argued.

"She was probably the first one they called about it, she's always getting made at the association for never giving her any work." King chimed in.

"True, though knowing my sister she probably jumped at the chance to avoid doing this." Fubuki admitted as she looked at the hotel "Don't tell her I told you this, but she's TERRIFIED of ghosts." She revealed.

"Wow really? Tatsumaki's afraid of spirits?" Kaemon asked, clearly surprised.

"But she's a psychic, wouldn't her powers be effective against ghosts?" Genos asked.

"I've never encountered a ghost so I really couldn't be sure, all I know is that she was at a festival once and claims she ran into a bald samurai ghost, and when she tried to use her powers against him they didn't work." Fubuki explained.

 _"Bald samurai ghost?..."_ The others all wondered, unknowingly in unison _"Could that've been?...nah, there's no way."_ They all dismissed, as the thought of Saitama being the one to have scared Tatsumaki was completely ridiculous.

"At any rate, we all came out here to check this place out since none of us really had anything better to do, so why don't we just check it out for ourselves?" She suggested.

"Sounds good to me, to be honest I REALLY don't want to go home until today is over..." Mutsuko admitted as they headed inside.

"Really? how come?" King asked.

"Apparently the others managed to snag a lot of fan mail for today, Bunji had like a whole mountain of it..." She answered with a groan.

"And you didn't get any?" Genos inquired.

"Oh no I got like, a TON of fan mail, but I didn't want to read any love letters or confessions, it'd just be weird for me since I've only got eyes for Saitama." She explained.

"Likewise, I appreciate the adoration and admiring, but some people can just get a little too creepy and personal." Fubuki said, shivering a little as some bad experiences came to mind.

Proceeding to go further into the building to explore it, far above them on the very top floor in the last room was Geryuganshoop, who was waiting for them to get further in before he started to "haunt" them.

"Alright, almost time." He said to himself, as he closed his eyes to focus "Hope Tatsumaki's enjoying herself, she owes me BIG for this." He added as he began to use his powers.

Choosing to start things off slowly he made the doors at the entrance suddenly slam shut behind them, managing to catch them all by surprise.

"Whoa!" Kaemon exclaimed as they all turned around "What was that? was it a ghost?" They asked.

"No it's just the doors, probably the wind." Mutsuko answered with a scoff as she crossed her arms "I mean, what are the chances that this place is ACTUALLY haunted?" She asked.

In response to this, Geryuganshoop lifted two of the chairs that were in the lobby area behind the reception desk and threw them against the wall, managing to shatter them both and make a sizable dent into the wall from the sheer force behind the throw.

"Wow, that is some strong wind." King said jokingly, doing his best to keep calm and not freak out over what he just saw.

"That was definitely a ghost!" Kaemon exclaimed, causing Mutsuko to scoff once more.

"P-Please, that's just...the earth's gravity getting weird, happens all the time..." She said as she looked off to the side, also trying not to freak out.

"That was not gravity, it was psychokinesis." Genos corrected as he looked around them "Though I cannot determine the source, as the energy is coming from all around us." He noted.

"Yeah I sense it too..." Fubuki agreed as she looked around as well "This place's psychic energy is insane, it might even be greater than Tatsumaki's..." She said.

"Oh come on guys stop playing around, there's NO such thing as ghosts." Mutsuko told them, still trying to keep cool "I bet you there is a perfectly normal and rational explanation for all of this." She assured.

Once again, the moment she said this every book, pamphlet, piece of paper, and any other reading article suddenly flew around the room, swirling around all of them before gently landing back to where they once were.

"...Whelp, this was fun and all, but I'm too pretty to die so I'm gonna leave now." Mutsuko told as she bolted to the doors.

Grabbing onto the handles and doing her best to pull them open, she was met with some kind of force pulling them in the opposite direction, keeping them tightly shut.

"It's no use, we're trapped in here." Genos told her as he looked to the ceiling "The whole building is surrounded in a barrier of the same energy, and none of us are capable of breaking through." He explained.

"Well that's just great! we're stuck inside a haunted sex hotel while Saitama and Tatsumaki are free as birds! we're all going to die!" Mutsuko shouted as she went into full on hysteria.

"What's a sex hotel?" Kaemon asked as they looked to King.

"It's...a place where people go to...have fun." He answered, doing his best to avoid eye contact.

"Mutsuko get a hold of yourself!" Fubuki exclaimed as she grabbed the bug woman by her shoulders "There's got to be a way out of here, all we have to do is look around and we'll be just fine." She assured.

 _"Yeah good luck with that."_ Geryuganshoop thought as he stretched himself out on his room's bed _"We're not leaving till the day's over, otherwise Tatsumaki will cook my tendrils for dinner..."_

And so, with the group now at Geryuganshoop's mercy they all went on to explore the hotel, ensuring that Saitama and Tatsumaki would not be disturbed.

* * *

When a person suddenly does something that is out of character for that individual, those who know them personally might ask if something is wrong or if they are sick in some way. And while for the most part this is done in good humor, such as when someone loses their composure or perhaps is more forgetful than they normally are, Saitama was legitimately concerned for Tatsumaki's well being as she was doing something he'd never seen her do before. It had been almost two hours since she came over to his place to hang out, and while the only thing to happen during them was some light conversation here and there to break apart the soothing silence that enveloped them, it was what came next that shocked him to his core.

Having managed to make it to noon without any kind of interruptions from crazed fans or even the others dropping by, both heroes began to feel hungry and would soon come to discuss what they should have for lunch. Or at least that's what he assumed would happen, but the moment his stomach growled Tatsumaki had gotten up from her seat and moved into the kitchen, asking him what he'd like to eat. Immediately taken aback by the sudden display of consideration and desire to cook a meal that she was displaying, before he could even answer her she followed up by saying anything he wanted her to make would be okay, so long as it wasn't absurd or weird. And even though he wanted to see how far he could push her boundaries of what was acceptable, he decided to play it safe and simply suggest that they have some Yakitori, to which she agreed.

Now normally one would need a proper grill in order to make any worthwhile Yakitori, but thanks to Saitama's immense wealth he was able to get the best appliances that money could buy for his small homely apartment, which included a stove/oven that was just a few steps away from being a robot from how advanced it was. Luckily though despite it's advanced appearance it was actually quite simple and easy to use, meaning that neither he nor anyone else who'd never used it before would have any trouble at making any kind of dish they desired with it. Which brought him to the now, as he laid on his side unable to keep from staring at Tatsumaki who busied herself with making their lunch, all the while a look of concern and confusion present on his face.

"...Hey...Tatsumaki?" He spoke to gain her attention.

"What is it baldy?" She asked without looking to him, as she was focusing on cooking the meat, preparing vegetables and fruits as side dishes, and an array of various condiments and spices for added flavor.

"How come you offered to make us lunch? usually you make me do it." He asked.

"Because all you ever make are simple dishes, good but simple." She answered as she looked over her shoulder at him "And while you're probably expecting some Yakitori you could buy from some restaurant, the moment you taste this you're gonna be begging me for more." She said with a proud smirk as she focused back to cooking.

"Do you make this often then?" He asked her.

"Not really, every once in a while when I feel like having meat, but when I do it is fantastic." She answered, continuing to give herself praise.

"Oh." He simply replied.

Silence came between them as all of his questions had been answered, leaving her to focus on finishing their meal. Needing only another ten minutes or so before it was all ready to be eaten, she skewered the meat she had cooked on ten sticks that they would split evenly and put them on plates, dressing each dish with the vegetables and fruits she had cut up.

"And...done!" She exclaimed as she finished preparing them, topping both off with a bit more spice "Lunch is ready." She told him as she brought the plates over.

Carrying both condiments and beverages over to the table with her esp she set everything down on the table before taking her seat across from him. However, the moment his food was placed in front of him and he was able to see and smell all it had to offer, Saitama was almost salivating from how delicious it seemed.

"Holy crap, this looks amazing, and it's smells great too!" He complimented as he picked one of the kebabs up.

"Trust me, tastes WAY better." She told him as she too picked one up from her plate.

Biting into the meat at the same time Tatsumaki casually chewed it as she had eaten it before, but once the food hit Saitama's tongue his eyes widened from the unbelievable flavor that exploded from it.

"This is SO good!" He exclaimed, albeit a bit muffled as he took another bite "This is like, one of the best things I've ever eaten!" He praised as he began to chow down.

"Of course it is, **I** made it after all." She replied proudly as she put a hand to her chest.

"Seriously Tatsumaki this is great!" He continued to compliment "You should make this more often, or you could even teach me how to make it!" He suggested.

"Hm, maybe, I'll have to think about it." She told him.

Watching as he quite viciously devoured the Yakitori, Tatsumaki couldn't keep a proud and contented smile from appearing on her face, though it only stayed there for a few seconds as she didn't want him to notice.

 _"So far so good, everything's going according to plan."_ She thought to herself as she took another bite _"Wonder how Geryuganshoop's doing?"_ She wondered.

* * *

"GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Mutsuko screamed as she flew through the hotel at dangerously high speeds.

Over the course of the past two hours a good deal of things had happened to the poor unsuspecting group of heroes, worsening their torment but admittedly providing some entertainment for Geryuganshoop. After his initial scare he waited for them to ascend to the second floor before he decided to separate them, using his powers he shoved each of them into a room and slammed the doors shut behind them. Now of course he had no intention of hurting them nor scaring them to the point where they felt their lives were in actual danger, but Tatsumaki had told him to do whatever he needed to keep them there without going overboard, which did give him quite a bit of wiggle room to be devious. This is what led him to the next stage of his haunting, with all of them separated he began to move the objects inside of each of their rooms around in random directions and at high speeds, successfully disorienting everyone except for Genos as he was mostly a machine.

Speaking of the cyborg hero, while everyone up to this point was beginning to feel scared and wanted desperately to get out, Genos on the other hand just went along with it like it was normal, that or he truly didn't care about anything that was happening period. Regardless of the stoic cyborg's demeanor though, once everyone excluding him was sufficiently disoriented he then used a bit of force with his powers to render them briefly unconscious, which then allowed him to move them all to different floors and rooms. As for Genos, seeing as how he wasn't disoriented and would definitely resist if Geryuganshoop tried to do the same to him, he simply left the cyborg in the same room and on the same floor, only letting him out once everyone else had been moved. And once the others did regain consciousness and realized they were somewhere different, this is when any semblance of composure or control flew right out the window as fear took hold of the reigns.

In total the hotel had seven different floors not including the lobby or basement, combining this with abilities he isolated how far their voices could travel so that they wouldn't be able to easily find each other, he furthered their feelings of isolation. But seeing as how Mutsuko was currently just flying around desperately trying to get out, it wouldn't be long before she accidentally flew right into one of the others, sending them both to the ground.

"Damn that hurt!" She exclaimed as she rubbed the top of her head "What did I?...KING?!" She shouted aloud, as she looked to the floor.

Laying on the ground beneath her was an unconscious King who had a quickly forming bruise on his head, indicating that they collided with each other head on.

"I am SO sorry!" She apologized as she got him to his feet "Are you alright King?" She asked as she gently slapped his cheek a few times to wake him up.

"I'm...fine..." He said in a slightly slurred fashion as he awoke "Did...did the ghost hit me with something?..." He asked as he looked at her, still very dazed.

"Um...yeah...it threw a vase or something at you." She lied, admittedly relieved that she was able to divert the blame "How about we go find the others and try to find a way out?" She suggested.

"Yeah...that sound's good." He replied "Good thing we decided to do this instead of just going to Saitama's huh?" He joked, managing to make her chuckle.

"Yeah, cause I'd rather be stuck in a haunted hotel than hang out with Saitama on Valentine's day." She replied as they headed for the stairs "At least Tatsumaki's busy too, otherwise it'd just be her and him alone in that apartment." She said, as they headed to another floor.

* * *

"Man I am stuffed." Saitama said with a blissful sigh as he laid down on his back "It's been a while since I've eaten that much food." He admitted as he put a hand on his stomach.

Finishing his meal before Tatsumaki finished her's, he still waited until she was done eating before he got comfortable again as he didn't want to come off as rude.

"See? told you you'd love it." She told him as she lifted everything on the table up with her esp "Want me to put these in the dishwasher or your sink?" She asked.

"Dishwasher." He answered.

Doing just that without leaving her seat she put both the dishes and their silverware into the appliance before adding the soap and turning it on.

"You didn't have to do that, I would've done it later probably." He told her causing her to roll her eyes.

"Probably? as in you might not have?" She asked.

"Eh, it's not like I'd be desperate for a plate or anything." He answered causing her to laugh.

"You really are hopeless you know that baldy?" She asked as she too laid down on the floor "Like, you are just so easy going it's baffling sometimes." She told him.

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked.

"Nah, if anything it's one of your best qualities." She answered as she put her hands behind her head "That and keeping a well stocked fridge for company." She added.

"Yeah well, when you guys stop by nearly every day it's better to have plenty of food so that way you don't eat everything I have." He replied.

"Please, you go to so many sales and stores despite being rich as hell, you'd never run out of food." She argued.

"True." He agreed as silence came between them once more.

Simply lying there and staring at the ceiling both heroes were honestly finding it hard not to fall asleep, thanks to the hot food that rested in their stomachs. But besides how awkward that would be if either of them suddenly fell asleep, something that kept both of them from succumbing to their comfort were questions that began to form in their minds.

"Hey...Saitama?" She asked, being the first one to break the silence "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He simply replied.

"Have you ever had a date on Valentine's day?" She asked as she looked at him "Or at the very least, did you have someone confess their feelings to you?" She asked.

"Um...not that I can remember no." He answered as he put a hand to his chin "Come to think of it, I don't think I ever got a valentine's day card after grade school, when everyone just got them anyways." He recalled as he put his hand back to his side "Why do you ask?" He questioned.

"No reason, just wondered if I was the only one was all." She replied casually with a shrug "Though I didn't really have a normal life, so it's not like I had a lot of opportunities for that kind of thing." She admitted.

"Ah, that makes sense." He said "Hey, can I ask you something now?" He asked.

"Sure go ahead." She replied.

"Remember when you and Fubuki told me you had feelings for me?" He asked, causing her eyes to widen.

"Uh...yeah?" She answered, unsure if he had realized what was going on or not.

"Do you still feel that way about me?" He asked.

Taking a moment to consider how she should respond Tatsumaki felt like she was literally walking across a minefield, and if she were to say something stupid or something wrong it could completely ruin everything.

"Would...would it make you uncomfortable if I said yes?" She asked, after a minute or so of thinking.

"Not really, like I said the first time you and Fubuki don't act all crazy and psychotic like everyone else does, so I'm fine with it." He answered, which caused a wave of relief to wash over her "I was just curious was all, figured that after spending so much time with me you'd probably change your mind." He reasoned.

"Why would you think that?" She asked.

"Because I'm me." He simply answered as he moved his hands behind his head "Besides being strong and powerful I don't really have a lot going for me, I'm bald for one thing and I'm pretty boring a lot of the time too, plus I usually have this blank expression on my face, there's just a lot of things that I think you'd find irritating or annoying." He explained.

"You've...thought about this?" She asked, a bit surprised by his response.

"Eh, when I'm sitting around with nothing to do I think about a lot of stuff, just something that crossed my mind once." He answered.

"Well...to be honest that's part of the reason why I developed those feelings." She admitted. as she too moved her hands behind her head "Everyone I've ever dealt with has always had some kind of poker face ready to hide who they really were, most people do it to come off as superior while others just do it to hide how pathetic they are, either way everyone's wearing a mask." She explained as he looked at him "But you, you're like an open book, and while some people might say that's a bad thing it's honestly refreshing to know there's at least ONE person out there who isn't a deceiving, conniving, backstabbing asshole." She complimented.

"You really think so?" He asked.

"I just said it didn't I?" She asked with a slight smile.

With both their questions being answered they fell yet again into silence, though this time it would go on to last for the next several hours as both were just content with enjoying the peace and quiet. But sadly all good things are destined to end, for as the sun eventually began it's descent down from the sky and towards the horizon Tatsumaki decided this would be the best time for her to take her leave, as if she were to say longer she was worried her true motives might be discovered.

"Whelp, guess I'll head home before it get's dark." She spoke as she got up from the floor "Today was nice baldy, we should do it again sometime." She suggested as she headed for the door.

"Yeah, that sounds good." He agreed as he got into an upright position.

Watching her as she opened the door and stepped out, just as she was about to close it she stopped for but a second and looked back inside.

"Hey, thanks for today Saitama, I...really needed it." She told him before she then shut the door.

A bit surprised by the fact she used his name instead of one of her usual nicknames and insults, Saitama felt a small smile come to his face as for in all honesty, he too needed a day that was as peaceful and as pleasant as this. Meanwhile right outside the door, Tatsumaki couldn't keep possibly the biggest smile she ever had from stretching across her face.

 _"That could NOT have gone better."_ She thought proudly as she walked away from his apartment _"I wonder how things went with the others?"_ She wondered as she headed down the stairs.

* * *

Drained, tired, terrified, and slightly relieved were all words that could describe Fubuki and the others as they were finally able to take their leave from the motel. After hours and hours of running around, screaming and jumping at every "ghostly" phenomenon that occurred, except for Genos of course, they all just wanted to go back to their homes and forget this day had ever happened.

"Thank god it is finally over..." Mutsuko groaned as she walked, about ready to just fall over and pass out.

"I'm so tired..." Kaemon said with a yawn, barely able to keep their eyes open "I just want to go to bed..."

"Me too, plus I got a headache from when the ghost threw a vase at my head." King replied as he put a hand to his forehead "How come I was the only one it attacked?" He asked.

"Who knows." Fubuki spoke with a sigh as she slumped her shoulders "All I know after this is that my sister's fear of ghosts isn't completely ridiculous..." She admitted.

"Does anyone else find it strange that it let us go?" Genos asked.

"What're you talking about you hunk of junk?!" Mutsuko questioned, her exhaustion causing her to be slightly irritable.

"It kept us trapped in there all day and there was nothing we could do about it, but then it just suddenly decides to let us leave?" He asked.

"Tatsumaki did say this only happened on Valentine's day, maybe because the day's over with it went away or something?" Fubuki suggested.

"WHO. CARES." Mutsuko said with widened eyes as she threw her hands into air "I just want to go home and take a nice long hot bath and completely suppress this entire experience so I never have to think about it ever again!" She exclaimed.

"Agreed." Everyone but Genos said.

Even though Genos still found it weird how everything just came to an end, he decided not to talk about it anymore as everyone else just wanted to put it behind them. As for Geryuganshoop, he waited until they disappeared around the street corner before he took his leave and headed back to Tatsumaki's apartment.

"That wasn't so bad." He said to himself as he flew, having admittedly enjoyed the experience "But if she wants me to do this again next year I'm just letting her take my tendrils." He decided as he didn't want to go through this insanity a second time.

And with that, Valentine's Day drew to a close, and while the others had a rather unfortunate and unpleasant experience, for a certain green haired esper it had been the best Valentine's Day she could recall.


	65. Valentine's Special: Fubuki

Valentine's day, for most it is seen as the perfect time of the year to go all out in showing one's affection towards another person, whether it be through a date, a gift, or some grand gesture. For others the day is seen more so like a stealth mission one might find in a secret agent movie or video game, as this is the one time of the year where their confessions of love and secret admiration will be accepted warmly and not turned away. Then you had people like Fubuki whose situation was rather unique as the person who had her heart was none other than Saitama, and while he was indeed aware of her feelings for him she knew he appreciated how she didn't make things weird or tried to complicate their friendship by making it more than it was. This in turn made it quite difficult for her to show her affection towards him, for while she respected his desire to keep things simple she still wanted to show how she felt about him in some way, especially for Valentine's Day.

But in order to achieve this goal she would need to go about it in a way that was both causal and unsuspecting, she needed a way to spend the day with him while making it seem like they were just hanging out and not doing anything romantic. And while at first this might seem fairly easy given there are a plentiful amount of activities she could choose from for them to partake in, at the same time this would all be happening on Valentine's Day where nearly EVERY business and person would be trying to make whatever they did tie into the holiday. Additionally Saitama was a known recluse when it came to days like this as his fans could get rather insane even by their standards, so she would somehow have to ensure that if they did go out and do something no attention would be brought to them. Then of course there were their friends to consider when making these plans too, not to mention her sister and Mutsuko who would ring her out to dry if they learned what she was planning behind their backs.

Thankfully though unlike the rest of their group Fubuki had an advantage unique to her and her alone, she had The Blizzard Group! With the help of her group she would be able to plan the perfect day that both her and Saitama could enjoy, as the group would be split into different teams to ensure it. First there was the diversion team who arguably was the most important, as their job was to keep the others from finding out what was really happening which would be incredibly difficult. Next was the damage control team, their job was to keep the public in check as she and Saitama went about their day of activities.

Finally you had the support team which consisted of three smaller teams, two of which would be dedicated to the two aforementioned teams while the third would remain at their headquarters. All in all Fubuki was as determined as she possibly could be to "hang" out with Saitama for the day, and with the aid of her group it seemed like nothing could stop them. At least that's what they chose to focus on, instead of thinking about the wrath they might all incur from their leader's sister if they got found out, but if it meant she could have the perfect Valentine's day then it would be worth the effort.

* * *

"Mhm, copy that." Mountain Ape replied to another member of the group via earpiece, before he looked to Fubuki "All preparations are complete." He told her.

Come the fateful day when everything was set to happen, Fubuki would be taken to Saitama's place by her car with the likes of Mountain Ape, Eyelashes, and Lily to accompany her.

"Good." She replied, though a bit lack luster as if she were distracted.

"Is something wrong ma'am?" Eyelashes asked, taking notice.

"Do you...do you guys really want to do this?" She asked, catching them all by surprise "I mean, you're basically just helping me go out on a date, surely you want to be doing something else today right?"

"No ma'am!" All three exclaimed in unison causing her eyes to widen "You are our leader miss Blizzard! and above all else your well being and happiness are what is most important!" Mountain Ape insisted.

"Exactly! plus it would be AMAZING if you and One Punch Man actually hit it off today and fall madly in love with each other!" Lily added, seeming to be a bit too excited about that idea.

"Plus think about the group's image, if you're able to win over his heart and you both become an item, then he'll be a part of the blizzard group, imagine how well that would help us!" Eyelashes suggested.

"I don't know if it'd ever happen like that, but that is something I hadn't considered." Fubuki admitted "But my feelings for him are not based on anything else than themselves, and I don't want him to ever think otherwise." She asserted.

"Of course not, we're just saying that besides making you happy this can benefit all of us, so there's no reason not to help you as much as we can like always." Mountain Ape said with a smile.

"Though...it does help that none of us HAD any plans for today..." Lily mentioned, as all three of them let out a slightly disappointed sigh.

Feeling a smile of her own come to her face Fubuki was glad that her group actually did want to help her, and this wasn't just her slightly abusing her role as the leader.

"We're here miss Blizzard!" The driver said from the front as the car came to a stop.

"Alright, showtime." Fubuki said as she opened her door.

"Good luck ma'am, and don't you worry about a thing we have it all under control." Mountain Ape assured as she stepped out, Eyelashes and Lily nodding in agreement.

"Thanks, and good luck to you too." She replied before she shut the door.

Waiting for the car to drive away before she headed up the building's stairwell, as she stood outside of Saitama's apartment she found herself freezing up, just like she did the first time she ever came here.

 _"Okay keep your cool Fubuki, you're just going to hang out with him today, it's not going to be romantic or weird it's just two friends hanging out together..."_ She lied to herself as she took a breath to calm her nerves "Okay, here we go."

Knocking but a few times on the door in hopes he was awake, the sound of approaching footsteps was soon heard followed by the door's knob being turned.

"Oh, hey Fubuki." Saitama, still dressed in pajamas greeted once it was open "What're you doing here?" He asked.

"Well Saitama, I thought that since today is Valentine's Day that we could maybe-"

"Wait, are you here to ask me out?" He asked cutting her off, causing any bit of composure she had to disappear instantly.

"W-WHAT?! NO! OF COURSE NOT!" She shouted in reply, her face becoming immensely flushed.

"Phew, okay good." He said with a sigh of relief "So why did you come by then?" He asked.

"W-Well..." She stammered, doing her best to calm herself "I thought that since...since you and I both don't have anything planned for today, that we could maybe hangout, STRICTLY as friends of course nothing more!" She explained.

Silence fell between them as Saitama was considering her suggestion, and even though he didn't have some kind of uncertain expression on his face, Fubuki still worried he might say no and make all of her planning be for nothing.

"To be honest, it's not like I had anything planned for today anyways." He admitted as a small smile came to his face "Yeah sure we can hangout, just let me go get changed okay?" He asked.

"Of course, no need to rush or anything." She assured him.

Retreating back into his apartment to get into some proper clothes, Fubuki once the door was closed suddenly regained all of her confidence as a smirk came to her face.

 _"Perfect! phase one is complete, now all we need to do is stick to my schedule and everything will work out just fine, so long as none of the others find out."_ Fubuki thought proudly.

"Fubuki?" The voice of Kaemon asked from beside her, causing her to jump in surprise.

Looking to her left Fubuki saw an extremely sleepy looking Kaemon just barely poking their head from inside their apartment, no doubt having been woken up by her previous shouting.

"What's going on?..." They asked, not even bothering to open their eyes.

"Oh uh, nothing's going on Kaemon, go back to sleep." She told them.

"...Okay." They replied as they shut their door.

 _"One down, four more to go."_ She thought as her smirk returned to her _"King should be pretty easy to divert, Genos will be a little stubborn, but Mutsuko and Tatsumaki are going to be near impossible, hopefully they won't try coming here till the day's nearly over..."_

* * *

"Oh this is just so exciting!" Mutsuko exclaimed as she, King, and Genos all walked down the street.

Though none of them planned on going to Saitama's together they all somehow managed to run into each other at the same time, ironically enough when all of them were buying something. With King it was a brand new dating sim that was scheduled to release today that he thought Saitama might enjoy to help kill time, from there as he headed to City Z he ran into Genos who was buying some manga he thought Saitama might enjoy to help kill time, then as they got closer to the district he lived in they ran into Mutsuko who was buying chocolate.

"You do know he probably won't accept that right?" King asked as he pointed to the heart shaped box she held in her hands "Saitama's never been one to care about Valentine's day, especially after his fans made it worse." He explained.

"Yeah but it's not like I'm intending for something to happen, like I'm not expecting him to kiss me or to say he loves me or anything, this is just my first Valentine's day and the tradition is for the girl to give the guy chocolate so I bought him some." She replied "Besides, you both bought him stuff too so it's not like I'll stand out or anything."

"True, but I was already planning to get this game, and Genos just thought of buying the manga on his way here." King argued.

Rounding the next street corner all three would find themselves coming to a stop and their conversation ended, as they were met with the sight of two people dressed in construction attire wearing gas masks standing in front of a roadblock with their arms crossed.

"Sorry, but the road's closed for today." The one on the left told them, though a bit muffled due to the mask "As are all other roads leading into the area."

"Um...why?" King asked, as there seemed to be no problems that they could see.

"Potential gas leak, extremely poisonous and highly flammable, until the area's been thoroughly investigated and cleared no one is allowed to pass." The same one explained.

"But doesn't gas just dissipate once it reaches the outside air?" Mutsuko asked.

"Yes, and it also loses it's density as it get's further from the source, making it less likely to pose a threat." Genos answered.

"Look, we don't make the rules we just enforce them, now all three of you need to turn around and walk away." The one on the right instructed.

"You do know One Punch Man lives in this district though right?" King asked.

"Your point?" The one on the left questioned.

"If there was a gas leak big enough to close off an entire district he'd be told about it, as would I since I'm an S class hero." King explained.

"Yeah, and we're A class soooooo..." Mutsuko chimed in as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

"Hero status has nothing to do with this, this is a matter of the city itself not of some criminal, monster, or threat to the world, it is our job to deal with it simple as that." The same one explained "Now I think we've been patient enough, please turn around and leave." They instructed once more.

"I dunno, this whole thing seems fishy to me." King said as he put a hand to his chin "You know, I remember one time when a bunch of One Punch Man's fans came up with this scheme to meet him, and how they did it was they disguised themselves as construction workers who claimed his building needed to be inspected." He explained as he leaned in to look at them more closely "After that didn't work no one tried anything like it again, cause they figured if it didn't work once it wouldn't work a second timr, but I wonder..." He trailed off, hoping to intimidate them.

Suddenly though almost as if on cue the entire street behind the roadblock suddenly exploded, catching King and the others off guard.

"Whelp, looks like a pipe's exploded." The one on the right said casually, neither they nor their partner seeming to be affected "Now the street's REALLY unusable, and who knows if another pipe or even a building could explode next." They said.

Again as if on cue a building behind them a few doors down suddenly exploded.

"Well would you look at that, things really are getting crazy huh?" The one on the left said, though didn't even turn around to look at it "So unless you all want to be cooked extra rare, please turn around and leave us to do our job." They instructed for a third time.

Looking at the raging inferno that happened behind the two, the trio of heroes did find the notion they were lying or faking to be completely ridiculous now, as blowing up a street or building just for the sake of meeting Saitama would be insane.

"Uh...right, sorry for the trouble..." King apologized, still a bit shocked from what just happened "We'll just be going now..."

"Alright then, have a good day, and happy Valentine's!" The one on the right called out as they took their leave.

Waiting until they turned the corner and were definitely out of earshot the two workers then finally looked behind them at the still raging flames.

"Alright, the coast is clear, you can clean up." The one on the left said.

Much like a movie set Blizzard group members suddenly came out of the nearby buildings and began to put out the flames, as they did it was revealed that the building and the street hadn't actually exploded, but were made to look so thanks to multiple projectors that had been set up all throughout the other buildings. As for the fire itself that was actually real and so were the explosions, however the explosions were caused by a chemical reaction that while looked and felt like real explosions, were essentially just optical illusions.

"Good thing Kanako's a special effect's master huh?" The one on the left said as they watched, referring to one of their fellow members.

"Yeah, without her I don't think we could've pulled off something this good." The one on the right agreed.

Taking off their masks so that they could speak without issue both workers revealed themselves to be Eyelashes and Lily.

"Hopefully Mountain Ape's job is going well too." Lily said with a contented sigh, as it felt nice to take off that mask.

"Yeah, though I'm fairly certain thanks to his size that he wont have to do much to keep the peace." Eyelashes replied.

* * *

"How is it Saitama?" Fubuki asked as she watched him take a bite of his food.

After he was finished getting dressed Fubuki took Saitama to a cafe she knew about in City Z, where the pastries they served were said to be divine in taste. She chose to start their day off by getting some brunch as that would come across as completely casual and not romantic, and as for anything Valentine's related besides a few heart shaped cookies for sale, there wasn't anything that just screamed LOVE. But this was still a fairly public venue in a fairly public place, so in order to ensure they would not be bothered or disturbed Mountain Ape, who was in charge of the security team, was to go to each destination before they arrived and wait for them. Thanks to his status as the third highest ranking B class hero as well as a member of the Blizzard group, anyone who saw him knew that if he was there then the blizzard of hell couldn't be too far behind.

And while everyone who was watching or had seen Saitama and Fubuki together wanted to ask questions, such as if they were on a date or not, one stern glare from the massive man quickly told them that if they overstepped their boundaries, they would have to deal with him. He wouldn't do anything of course, but the mere intimidation was enough to get the job done.

"It's good." He answered, though a bit muffled as he was chewing "It's really flaky, but not in a bad way, plus they're really soft and sweet." He described.

"I'm glad you like them." She replied with a smile as she picked up one of her own "I just recently came across this place when I was coming over one day, thought that we all could check it out as a group." She explained.

"Eh, it'd be kinda weird for a group of people to go to a cafe." He said as he swallowed his bite "Usually cafes are meant for like, two or three people."

"True." She agreed as she took a bite.

"So, what else are we gonna do besides eat pastries?" He asked, curious of what she might have planned.

"Well, considering it's Valentine's day there's not a lot we can honestly do without drawing attention to ourselves or getting pulled into the whole theme of today, but I do know of a few places that we can check out where neither will be an issue." She explained after she swallowed.

"Man, you really do know a lot about the city, even though you don't live here." He noted.

"That's because whenever I come over I always take a different route, so I can maybe find something that might interest me." She explained.

"Oh." He sounded in reply.

Though she wasn't lying she wasn't being entirely truthful either, as the only reason she knew about this cafe and the other places they were going to after, was because she for this day spent HOURS looking through every possible location to find the best ones. But so far the effort to do so was paying off in earnest, as they were not only spending the day together but there hadn't been any interruptions or problems so far, making it seem like everything would go according to plan.

* * *

"Hey baldy!" Tatsumaki called from outside his door as she knocked on it a few times.

Even though as time went on she became a bit softer towards Saitama and the others she still had a VERY adversarial personality, combine this with her short fuse and something as small and insignificant as being ignored could easily set her off. This was what she believed was happening in this moment, as she came by to spend the day with Saitama to make it all go by faster, she found herself not being met with any reply though she knew for a fact he was in there, given that he never left his apartment on days like this.

"You have exactly three seconds to open the door." She warned as she crossed her arms "Otherwise you'll need a new one."

Thankfully, before this could go any further the door to Kaemon's apartment opened slowly, followed by the still sleepy occupant poking their head out.

"Why is everyone shouting so much?..." They asked as a yawn escaped them "I thought you guys didn't like today..."

"Go back to sleep Kaemon." She told them with a dismissive wave of her hand "I'm just waiting for Saitama to open the door."

"But he's not here." They replied, immediately gaining her full focus.

Thankfully before the conversation could go any further Eyelashes and Lily burst out from the building's stairwell, both seeming to be out of breath.

"M-Miss tornado..." Eyelashes spoke while panting, doing his best to catch his breath "W-We're so glad we caught you..."

"Who're you?" She asked, barely caring to hear the response.

"We're part of the Blizzard group." Lily answered, causing the other to roll her eyes.

"Oh you're my sister's lackeys, got it." She replied "So what're you two doing here then?" She asked.

"Miss blizzard told us to wait for you if you came by, she wanted us to tell you that both her and One Punch Man aren't here." Eyelashes answered.

"...What." She said simply, though her tone and neutral expression hinted at potential rage.

"They went back to hq to spend the day together, they thought that since neither of them had any plans they could just hangout together." Lily explained.

Before either of them could even blink Tatsumaki was suddenly in front of them, causing them in response to jump back from surprise.

"Where?" She asked, clearly doing her best to keep calm.

"City B." They both answered in unison.

Not saying another word Tatsumaki took off into the sky and flew away, leaving them both alone to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank GOD we caught her..." Eyelashes sighed as he put a hand to his chest.

"Miss Blizzard told us she would probably fly here, I just didn't think it'd be that fast..." Lily replied "How long do you think we have until she realizes we lied to her?" She asked.

"Long enough for us to get back to hq and hide from her until the day is over, so we better hurry." He answered.

And with that the diversion team's job was done for the time being, leaving them with nothing more than to go back to their base and wait for their leader to return. As for Kaemon, who had still been present during that whole exchange but was simply ignored, they kept their head outside of the door for a few seconds longer before going back inside.

"I hate valentine's day..." They muttered as they shut the door.

* * *

"Come on come on!" Saitama exclaimed as he rapidly pressed the buttons on an arcade game's console "Damn it!" He exclaimed in frustration as he got a game over.

After finishing their brunch the next stop for their day was an arcade that was only ten minutes away. But unlike most arcades this one didn't just have video games, it also had claw games, skee ball, and so on, giving it a nice variety. And while for the most part there wasn't too much that either of them could do together, Fubuki's plan was to get him to play a claw game and win her a prize, but doing so without seeming weird was going to be a challenge. As for Mountain Ape, he did his best to be incognito so that Saitama wouldn't notice him, and even though he was doing a good job by actually playing some of the games and not just standing around somewhere, he was an incredibly massive man so it was still challenging.

But thankfully Saitama seemed far too focused on the games he and Fubuki were playing, either alone or even for some of them together, which she admittedly enjoyed because she got to stand right next to him.

"Seems pretty difficult." Fubuki noted "But you still managed to get a highscore." She added.

"Yeah, but I didn't come close to King's." He replied as he pointed to the top of the screen, where the initials "Kng" sat atop of the list.

"Wait, Kng is King?!" She questioned as she looked around them "But that's on all of the games we've played!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, King is so cool." He said as he finished putting in his initials "So, what should we play now?" He asked.

Upon hearing this Fubuki deciding that now was the perfect time to try and get him to win her a stuffed animal, began to look around until she saw a claw machine that had an abundance of them.

"Why don't we try a claw game?" She suggested as they began walking over.

"Eh, there's not that much skill to these things, they're all rigged." He replied.

"Still they are pretty fun, especially when you win something." She reasoned as she looked inside.

Looking over the sea of plush toys that awaited on the other side of the glass, as she looked for the perfect one she saw in the corner an adorable brown teddy with a red bow around it's neck.

"I'll try it first." She told him as she put in a few coins to start it.

Moving the claw around in a somewhat vague way as to not give away that she had already chosen what she wanted, as the game's timer slowly got closer to zero she eventually moved it to the corner and pressed the button. Now, normally it would be relative chance whether or not she would actually grab the bear or not, but to ensure success she subtly used her power to move the crane's hand just enough, to where it couldn't be noticed and she wouldn't get the bear.

"Aw, that was so close." She complained with fake disappointment "I'll give it another go then you try it, sound good?" She suggested.

"Sure." He simply replied as he watched.

Putting in more coins this time she went straight for the bear, but instead of pressing it immediately she fidgeted with the stick to make it seem like she was looking for the right angle, when in reality if she wanted she could just hoist the thing out of the machine.

"And...there." She said, as she pressed the button.

Just like before, right as the claw neared the bear and it seemed like it might be grabbed, a subtle nudge to the left caused it to fall just a small bit off of the toy, resulting in another miss.

"Guess I'm just no good at this." She said with a sigh as she stepped aside "Your turn."

"Don't feel too bad Fubuki, like I said these things are just about chance." He told her as he stepped forward "But if you want I could try and get you that bear." He offered.

"You don't have to do that Saitama, you should go for whatever you want." She offered.

"Yeah, but there's nothing I really want in here it's mostly just stuffed animals, so I'll go for the bear and you can have it." He explained as he put in the coins.

Watching him move the claw over to the bear and just instantly press the button, even though Fubuki wanted him to win it on his own she knew that it might take a while if she did nothing, so for the third time she subtly changed it's course to be spot on with it.

"Oh wow, I got it." He said slightly amazed, as he fully expected to lose.

"Guess the odds were in your favor huh Saitama?" She asked as the claw carried the bear from it's place to the drop box.

Waiting until it was released and fell into the small space below, Saitama reached inside, pulled it out, and gave it to Fubuki.

"Here you go." He said as she took it from him "Like it?" He asked.

"Mhm, it's very cute." She answered as she looked it over "Thank you Saitama."

"Hey, what're friends for?" He asked as he looked around them "I think we've played most of the games here though, wanna move onto something else?"

"Sounds good." She replied.

Taking their leave the duo's next destination would be a park near the center of the city, and while most would think it'd be crowded during a day like Valentine's it was actually quite vacant, as most people were no doubt spending today with their significant other. Thankfully this not only gave them a great deal of privacy but also made Mountain Ape's job of keeping the peace much easier, as he could just sit on a bench that was relatively close but far enough so they could still be alone.

"Why're we at a park?" Saitama asked as he looked around "Is there something happening here?"

"No, I just thought that since we've been to a cafe and an arcade already, that we could maybe use a bit of a pause is all." Fubuki replied "If you don't want to stay though we could go somewhere else." She suggested.

"No it's fine, was just wondering is all." He assured her, placing his hands behind his head as they walked "So...Fubuki."

"Yes Saitama?" She responded.

"This...this isn't an actual date right?" He asked causing her eyes to widen.

"W-What? no of course not! like I said it's just two friends hanging out is all, nothing more!" She exclaimed in a bit of a frenzied fashion, obviously flustered "W-Why would you ask that?" She asked.

"Dunno, just seems like what we've been doing all day has been pretty...datey?" He answered, unable to come up with a word to describe it "I mean we started at a cafe right? which is pretty normal, but then we went to an arcade and I won you that bear, and now we're walking through a park together, just seems like it could be a date is all." He explained.

"Well it's not, I know how you feel about relationships...at least I think I do, and I know you wouldn't want to be in one with one of your friends aka me, so it's not a date just us hanging out." She insisted "But out of curiosity...why aren't you in a relationship? you're the top ranking hero of S class and the most famous person in the whole world, there's a whole bunch of people who'd throw themselves at you." She pointed out.

"Eh, it's for two reasons really." He began as he held up a finger "The first is because it's not something I want to focus on right now ya know? I'm fine with just being a hero and relaxing and hanging out with my friends."

"And the second?" She asked.

"I don't think anyone would be able to be in a relationship with me." He answered as he looked up to the sky "Ever since I became this strong, things have just gotten really boring for me, to the point where I can barely feel emotion anymore, so even if I did find someone who I wanted to be with I wouldn't be there like, emotionally, and that wouldn't be fair to the other person." He explained.

Taking a moment to think on what he said Fubuki hadn't really considered that all too much, sure she and the others were well aware of Saitama's inability to feel emotion most of the time, but something she, Tatsumaki, and Mutsuko hadn't realized was that if they did somehow get into a relationship with him, he wouldn't be able to return their feelings with his own all the time, if at all.

"That...does make sense." She agreed "It wouldn't be fair to the other person if you couldn't return their feelings completely."

"Right, so for now at least I'm fine with being single, I've got my apartment, I'm a hero, and I've got friends, what more do I need?" He asked.

"Plus you're immensely wealthy." She added causing him to sigh.

"Yeah don't remind me, I told the association that if they wanted they could not pay me for a while, but they insist on doing it so I've just got this massive stockpile of cash sitting in a bank or something." He explained.

"Mind if I borrow some money then?" She asked playfully as she nudged his side.

"Eh, you don't loan money to friends, makes things awkward." He told her, causing her to laugh.

"True." She agreed.

Continuing their walk through the park until they decided to stop, they went on to spend the rest of the day just going to different stores and seeing all of what was for sale. From books and manga, to movies and video games, to clothes and outfits, and even just some browsing in an open food market, for the next several hours they didn't focus on finding one particular thing to do to pass the time, they just simply enjoyed spending that time with each other. But sadly all good things never last forever, and so as the sun began to set over the horizon the duo found themselves back at Saitama's apartment.

"Today was nice." Fubuki said as they stopped at his door "We should do it again sometime." She suggested.

"Yeah, sounds good." He agreed as he opened his door "To be honest, this has been the best Valentine's day I can remember, no stress about not having a girlfriend or anything, just hanging out with a friend." He said as he stepped inside "Wanna come in and hang out here for a bit?" He offered.

"Thank you, but I need to get back to my group and see how they've kept themselves busy all day." She replied "See you tomorrow?" She asked.

"Mhm, see ya." He answered before closing the door.

Standing there for a minute or two as to reflect on the day she had, Fubuki ever so carefully hugged her new bear to her chest, a smile present on her face.

"Miss Blizzard." Mountain Ape spoke, as he stepped out of the building's stairwell "The car's here, ready to go?" He asked.

"Yes." She simply answered as she walked over "How did the others do?" She asked.

"Everything went according to plan ma'am, though we think tornado might know what happened." He answered.

"Well it couldn't be COMPLETELY perfect, but still she didn't interrupt so it was a success nonetheless." She replied as she looked at her bear "And it was without question the best Valentine's Day ever." She said, a contented smile present on her face.


	66. Valentine's Special: Mutsuko

Love in most people's eyes is seen as a battlefield, as much like a war zone there are all kinds of dangers that can make your life a living hell in the blink of an eye. But instead of bullets or grenades the battle of love was fought with different weapons, such as candy, flowers, gifts, and dates. And while all year round the battle of love raged on for countless people, it was on Valentine's day where the battle reached world ending levels of chaos. For it was during this crucial and sensitive day that one of three things were guaranteed to happen, a relationship would find it's bloom and love would blossom into something beautiful, a falling out between lovers or an admirer and the focus of their affection leading to unbearable heartache and pain, and of course the most sought outcome in which an already established relationship was elevated to the next level.

This in the eyes of Mutsuko was the ONLY outcome acceptable for today, as she was hellbent on making Saitama fall madly in love with her through whatever means and tactics that she needed. Even though she, Fubuki, and Tatsumaki had all agreed to not try anything as that would be completely unfair and in the green haired esper's own words bullshit, she still hoped that her plans to win Saitama over would be a massive success. Yet even with her intent to spend the whole day with the man of her dreams she did still have some rules and sensibilities that she would not go against, such as coming onto Saitama by trying to seduce him or aggressively try to kiss him, as well not doing anything to try and coerce him into being with her. Not like that would ever happen of course, but her whole plan was to make Saitama fall in love with her on his own, no manipulation or anything else just an attempt to make him fall in love with her.

How she would go about this admittedly she didn't know, as this was going to be her first Valentine's Day ever, so she hadn't the faintest clue as to what would be the perfect way to spend it that both she and Saitama would enjoy. But thankfully in this time of determination and desperation there was one place she could look to find all the answers she sought, the pages of relationship focused magazines. Much like a high school girl taking quizzes for both herself and her crush, Mutsuko read every article she could find to try and figure out what the perfect day would be, which in the end actually proved to be exactly what she needed. Across all of the articles there were some things that were consistent and always present, this is how she determined what was generally agreed upon as being good for the day.

Certain things like buying the man of your dreams a gift and making him homemade chocolate, taking him on a scenic date somewhere nice and serene like a park or wilderness area, and that the time of day was absolutely crucial. Why the last one was the most important detail of all was because of the mood it would set, if done at some point during the day there'd be little variety in terms of light and shadows to accentuate her features, but if she could finish their day in the glow of the sunset or the glimmer of the moon, then she was certain she could captivate him with her looks alone. But then you had the previous steps that needed to be dealt with first, which she in complete honesty had no idea where to start. First there was the matter of both the gift and the chocolate, on one hand she didn't know what would be the perfect gift to give to him, while on the other she had NEVER cooked anything before in her entire life so she didn't know the first thing about making chocolate.

Then there was choosing the right locale for their scenic walk, ANYWHERE could be made slightly more romantic due to the sunset or the rising moon, so she needed to find a place that was already breathtaking and amazing so that either time of day would just make it all the more stunning. Thankfully though she would not have to attempt this mission on her own, as she had her fellow house members to lend her their aid. Though actually convincing them to help her at all was in of itself another challenge to overcome.

* * *

"You've GOT to be joking..." Chikara said, as he and the others just stared at Mutsuko.

After gathering them all together and informing them of her plan Mutsuko wasn't meant with a response of harsh expressions or mean comments, but faces of genuine disbelief that she believed they would get involved in this scheme of her's.

"Oh come on guys, just do me this solid please!" She begged as she brought her hands together "I'll owe each of you a MASSIVE favor, just help me do this and anything you want me to do I'll do it!" She swore.

"Even if the idea wasn't insane, there's nothing that you can do or anything you have that we'd want to exploit with a favor." Bunji argued as he crossed his arms "Anything and everything we need the doctor himself provides, and as for money to buy something that he doesn't give us we make plenty of that through our hero work, considering we don't have to pay bills or buy food." He explained.

"Yeah Bunji pretty much sums it up, your idea is crazy and there's nothing you can say or do to make us help you." Genjiro agreed.

"Like you jerks have anything better to do!" She replied in anger as she pointed to the other side of the room "The only plans you have for Valentine's is to sit on your butts and read fan mail!"

Resting against the wall she was pointing at were comically huge bags of mail, packages, and so forth all addressed to the House of Evolution. Well it was actually addressed to the association as the house's location was "need to know", so anytime mail or otherwise meant for them came through they just sent it there via delivery drone.

"But most of that is for you." Fujio pointed out as he too pointed to the bags "The ones for Bunji are mostly from the kids that play with him when he's done on patrol, and the rest are for Atomu, Chikara, and Kamakyuri from their hero work." He explained.

"Though we did get a few ourselves, which is weird considering we're not heroes yet." Suguru chimed in.

"So? all of mine are from people who are either fans or creepy pervs who just focus on my breasts and ass, why would I humor those idiots when Saitama's the only one I care about?" She asked while crossing her arms.

"Regardless if you read your fan mail or not the fact of the matter is that none of us are going to help you with your evil scheme to try and get into One Punch Man's pants." Chikara told her.

Upon saying that however he was met with a nearby table being thrown right at his head, which of course did nothing to phase him in the slightest as he was far more durable than it was.

"...Okay?" He questioned, as the former table had shattered upon impact and now laid scattered around his feet.

"UGH, what can I POSSIBLY do to get you guys to help me?!" She asked in frustration, though part of it was because the table did nothing.

"Like we've been saying Mutsuko there's nothing you can do, so if you'll excuse us we're going to collect our fan mail and go back to our rooms." Atomu answered.

Watching as they walked over to the bags and began to shift through all of the mail to find what was theirs, a sudden spark of genius went off inside of Mutsuko's head giving her an idea.

"You know...I'm going to have to make chocolate for Saitama." She told them as she slowly walked over.

"Mhm." They all sounded in unison, barely listening at this point.

"And it's probably going to take me a few tries to get it right." She went on.

"Mhm." They repeated.

"So that means I'm probably going to have to make like, SO many batches of chocolates before I'm satisfied, so if you wanted to help me then you could maybe eat those other batches~" She mused with a grin as she came to a stop.

Upon hearing this all of them froze in their place, as the thought of having a near endless sea of chocolate all for the taking did get their interest.

"And if you even helped me with my WHOLE plan, I might just be tempted to cook you guys whatever you want once the day is over, ANY dish you guys want to eat and I will personally make it for you." She offered.

Even though every fiber of their beings were screaming "HELL NO", the others couldn't deny the thought of having their favorite dishes be made for them was INCREDIBLY enticing. Still there was another secret reason that none of them wanted to help, ever since the heroes retreat everyone excluding the doctor, his clones, and Mutsuko knew about Kamakyuri's crush for the mosquito woman, so besides not wanting to help for the sake it was an underhanded scheme they also wanted to be on Kamakyuri's side. But they say the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so after a few seconds of thinking it over they all turned around and faced her.

"We want that in writing." Chikara told her, causing her to literally jump with joy.

* * *

Being the genius of science he was doctor Genus, besides cloning himself and his creations when needed also cloned plants and food, in short he had made a stockpile of greens, meats, and whatever else that was needed so that they would never be without food. And while for the most part everyone was fine just snacking on an apple or chewing on some cooked meat they did still like to have actual meals, which is why despite the house being a place for science and combat training had a top notch kitchen space. From several ovens, fridges, cabinets, stove tops, grills, and so forth, to a plethora of spices, seasonings, dressings, utensils, and what not, the kitchen space was what every professional chef dreamed of having some day. But besides being grand and top notch it was also very efficient as well, for anytime the house wanted to have a normal meal or celebrate something the room was big enough to seat and feed everyone that lived there.

This is how Mutsuko with the others now in tow found themselves all standing in the space wearing aprons and chef hats, which on most of them were fairly comical in appearance.

"Okay!" She spoke as she clapped her hands together "I've looked into a bunch of different flavors of chocolate and have narrowed it down to three choices." She said as she laid out three pieces of paper "I printed out the recipes for each of them and we'll all be taking one and working on them at the same time, when they're done we'll taste them and see which one is the best, and how it might be improved." She explained.

"What kinds of chocolate did you pick out?" Bunji asked as he picked up one of the recipes.

"The first one is just standard milk chocolate, the second is chocolate covered strawberries, and the last one is chocolate with caramel and cream added into it." She answered.

Passing the recipe he held in his hand off to the others he did the same thing with the other two recipes, so that way they could all look them over and see what needed to be done.

"This...doesn't seem too hard." Genjiro admitted.

"Yeah, these instructions are pretty easy to follow, we should be able to make these in no time." Fujio agreed.

"We could even make a bunch of batches in advance, since we have the oven space for it." Atomu suggested.

"That's the spirit!" Mutsuko praised as she clenched her fist "Now, me and Chikara will work on the milk chocolate, Bunji, Atomu, and Kamakyuri will take the chocolate covered strawberries, and Genjiro, Fujio, and Suguru will take the chocolate with caramel and cream." She explained.

"Wait, why do we get the most complicated one?" Genjiro asked.

"Because Suguru's a telepath, he'll be able to do the complex stuff really easily." She answered "Plus Kamakyuri's got blades for hands, so it just made sense to put him with the strawberries since it'll be easy for him to pick them up." She added.

"Seriously, when am I getting some ACTUAL hands?..." Kamakyuri asked sadly, receiving a light pat on the should from Bunji.

"Anyways, if we all work together and focus on getting these done, it shouldn't take us longer than an hour or so to be finished, I'll have my perfect chocolates for Saitama and you'll all have a mountain of chocolate for yourselves, so let's get to work!" She ordered with a fist bump to the air.

With their teams and recipes all sorted out the three separate groups all went to their own parts of the kitchen to get to work, and whether it was thanks to the recipes or how well they got along with each other each group managed to work like a well oiled machine. Even Kamakyuri who had some disadvantages in the kitchen was able to contribute to his team as besides handling the strawberries he was able to cut them into perfect slices and even removed their seeds with great precision. Though making the final product for each batch did take longer than they anticipated, for while thanks to the high tech ovens the doctor had installed they were able to cook and make their chocolates faster than a normal oven would, this was still their first time cooking EVER and so their first few batches were rather goopy and not pretty to look at. But on the plus side they were VERY tasty, so while they spent the next two hours making their batches they were able to snack on the failures until finally they succeeded.

"WOW that took a while..." Mutsuko sighed as she wiped some sweat from her forehead with her arm "I didn't think it'd take so much time to get it right." She admitted.

"The doctor's clones usually do the cooking, so it makes sense we'd make some mistakes here and there." Chikara noted as he pat his stomach "On the plus side though, they were all delicious." He added with a contented sigh.

"True, but which of these is the best?" She asked as she looked down at their final batches "We've all tasted them as we kept having to start over, so which one do you guys think is the tastiest?" She asked.

"Personally I liked the regular chocolate the best." Bunji said as he lightly picked his teeth with a claw "The cream and caramel got stuck in my teeth a bit too much, and the strawberries were REALLY sweet." He explained.

"But that's why the strawberries were so good, it was like an explosion of happiness in your mouth." Genjiro countered as he was still lightly nibbling on one.

"True, but you can't have too many of them together, least I couldn't." Atomu argued "Plus the cream and caramel chocolate had a lot of different flavors to go with it, still very sweet but there was more variety." He reasoned.

"Guys, I think we're forgetting something here." Fujio spoke up to gain their attention "It doesn't really matter what we think, it all comes down to what One Punch Man thinks right?" He asked.

"True, but we don't know what kind of chocolate he prefers do we?" Suguru asked.

Upon asking this all eyes fell onto Mutsuko, who much like a deer in the headlights froze where she stood.

"Well...no I don't, but that's why I wanted to make three different batches so that way I could pick the best one from them, which is also why I'm asking your opinions." She explained.

"I've got an idea." Kamakyuri said as he pointed to the chocolates "Why don't you just take some chocolate from each batch and put them all in one box? that way he can pick and choose which ones are his favorite and you don't have to make a decision on just one?" He suggested.

Falling silent for a moment to consider this idea, a grin soon spread across her face just before she pulled him into a hug.

"Kamakyuri you're a genius!" She exclaimed happily as she even lifted him off the ground.

Feeling a blush come to his face from the sudden embrace which she thankfully couldn't see, he noticed how the others while she was hugging him were giving him thumbs up. After a few more seconds she released him from her arms and carefully took pieces from each batch and placed them all in a small box, which she would wrap up nicely in a bow later to give to Saitama. As for what remained the others simply split up among themselves and ate it, bringing their chocolate cooking session to a tasty end.

* * *

With the chocolate part of her plan now complete and the chocolates themselves resting comfortably in one of the fridges to keep fresh until tomorrow, the next part that she needed help with was finding a gift for Saitama. And while you'd think this part would be fairly simple it in truth was the hardest, as to find the PERFECT gift for him she needed to find something that was special, something that would make his eyes light up in excitement, or at least how much he was able to given his severe lack of emotions. Thankfully though the others were actually able to chime in with some decent ideas, leading them to sit around and bounce back and forth suggestions until one simply stood out above the rest.

"What about a video game? he likes those." Genjiro suggested as he laid on the floor staring at the ceiling, letting all of the chocolate he ate digest.

"Nah, that's not personal enough, anyone could buy him a game, even King." Mutsuko replied.

"Well yeah, but I'm talking like a game that he'd be REALLY excited for, do you know what kind of games he likes the most?" Genjiro asked.

"Hmm...not really, I've never been into games all that much, King would probably know more about that than I would." She reasoned.

"Then why not give him call?" Atomu suggested.

"Because then he'd know something was up." She replied.

"So? he and the others already know you're head over heels for One Punch Man, he probably won't think too much of it." He argued.

"True, but still a video game just seems to be kinda lackluster, I'm looking for something that when I give it to him he's like, WHOA, ya know?" She said.

"Well then what about some clothes? like a t-shirt or something?" Bunji suggested.

"Wouldn't that be too personal though? like do friends give each other clothes as gifts normally?" She asked.

"I think so, for like birthdays and christmas." He answered.

"Yeah but those are times when either everyone's giving gifts to him, or everyone's just giving gifts period, if she were to give him like a dress shirt or even dress pants or shoes, then it'd be a little weird especially since it'd be valentine's day." Fujio reasoned.

"Ya know, I think we're going about this all the wrong way." Chikara said as he crossed his arms "We're trying to come up with a gift that most people would think is perfect, but what gift would be perfect for One Punch Man specifically?" He asked.

Putting hands to their chins to think about it, though for Kamakyuri it was a blade, they sat there in silent contemplation for what felt like an eternity before eventually they all let out a defeated sigh.

"Who're we kidding? the only one here who'd know what the perfect gift would be for him is Mutsuko, but even she doesn't have an idea." Suguru said.

"Yeah, I think I will give King a call and ask him, he's known Saitama the longest and he's the least likely to rat me out." Mutsuko said as she got up from her seat "I think I got his number written down in my room somewhere..." She mumbled as she walked out.

Going to her room she looked through her bedside tables drawers until she found a little black book in which she kept everyone's phone numbers and addresses in, should she ever need to contact or visit them when they weren't all hanging out at Saitama's. Quickly finding King's number and then proceeding to dial it in the land line phone she had resting atop one of the tables, it only took a few seconds before she received an answer.

"Hello?" King spoke once the call went through.

"Hey King, what's up?" Mutsuko responded.

"Mutsuko?" He questioned causing her to roll her eyes.

"Yeah King it's me, listen I need to talk to you." She replied.

"How'd you get my home phone number?" He asked, as he didn't recall giving it to her.

"I got it from Saitama alright? Now can you please just listen for a second?" She asked a bit impatiently before releasing a sigh "I need to ask you something, is that alright?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah sure." He replied, unsure as to why she would seek his input on anything.

"Valentine's day is tomorrow, and I want to get Saitama something for the day, nothing creepy or too romantic just something that he'll like, any ideas?" She asked.

"Um..." He hummed taking a second to think "Well...I think if you want to get him something he'll enjoy without it being too personal or romantic, then your best bet is probably to go with some manga he'd enjoy." He suggested.

"Really you think that'd be a good enough gift?" She asked.

"Yeah it should be, but Mutsuko there's-" He began to say, only for her to cut him off.

"Alright thanks King, see ya later!" She told him before she put the phone down on it's receiver.

Content with the suggestion King had given her Mutsuko began to hastily leave her room to go and buy some manga, only to bump into Kamakyuri on the way out.

"Oh, sorry Mutsuko." He apologized as he pointed to his door "I was just going back to my room to-" He began to explain, only to be interrupted as she hurried off.

"Sorry Kamakyuri but I gotta head to the city to get Saitama's gift before the stores close, be back soon!" She told him as she disappeared around the hallway's corner.

A bit taken aback by how fast she had left Kamakyuri was just about to continue to his room when the phone from her room began to ring, gaining his attention.

"Hm?" He sounded in curiosity, as he walked into her room and very carefully lifted it off of the receiver with one of his blades "Hello?" He spoke, having to lean forward a bit to keep from moving the phone too much and having it slip off of his appendage.

* * *

Due to her incredible speed through the air Mutsuko was able to easily reach a nearby city and locate a bookstore within the span of five minutes. However, once she stepped inside and began to browse the selection of manga they possessed, she found herself struggling to figure out what he'd like exactly.

"Hmm..." She hummed with a hand on her chin as she picked up different volumes of different series to look them over "Maybe he'd like this one?" She wondered aloud.

"Can I help you with something miss?" An employee asked from beside her, catching her by surprise.

"GAH!" She exclaimed, accidentally throwing the book into the air as she did.

Amazingly, before the book had a chance to hit the ground the employee caught it midair and put it back onto the shelf, the employee in question being a seemingly normal woman in her twenties.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She apologized.

"It's fine, I was just lost in thought is all." Mutsuko replied awkward as she looked back to the books on the shelves.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" The woman asked a second time, since it seemed that Mutsuko hadn't heard her the first time.

"I'm trying to decide on what kind of manga a...friend of mine would like." Mutsuko told her.

"Well, what kind of things does your friend like to read?" She asked.

"I...don't entirely know, he kinda just likes to read everything I think..." Mutsuko answered with a bit of a shrug.

"Well if that's the case then I think he might enjoy this." She told her as she pulled a book from the shelf "This is one of our most popular series, it's set in a fantasy setting and it tells the story of a man who slays goblins." She explained.

"Really?" Mutsuko inquired, taking it from her hand to look it over "It does look kinda interesting, maybe he would like this." She said as she looked back to the employee "How much action is in it though, is it like lame pg action or is it ACTUAL action with like stakes and stuff?" She asked.

"Oh it's filled with action, some of which can get rather intense and dark at times." She answered.

"Huh, I think he would like it then." Mutsuko said with a smile "I'll take it, got anymore that I can buy with it?" She asked, causing the employee to smile.

"Why yes, we have few more volumes right here." She answered pointing to the shelf as she did "Would you like me to go ring these up so that way you can just pay for them at the counter?" She asked.

"Yeah that'd be great, thank you." Mutsuko replied.

Watching the woman leave the aisle Mutsuko picked up a copy of each of the other volumes and gave them all a quick look over to see if what she had said was true.

"Whoa." Mutsuko said as she flipped through the pages "This does get pretty intense, he'll love it." She said with a smile as she closed the books and went to the front.

Just as the employee had said the items were already tallied up, meaning all she had to do was simply pay the total and she'd be on her way.

"Would you like me to gift wrap these for you miss?" She asked before she put them into a bag.

"No, I just plan on giving them to him, but thanks for offering." Mutsuko replied.

Once all of the books had been put into a bag and were given to her, Mutsuko took her leave of the store and went back into the sky. Yet instead of heading back to the house right away, she spent the next hour or so searching for a place to take Saitama for tomorrow, instead of just looking up some place on the internet. Unfortunately every place she thought might be good was a bit too out of the way or would already be crowded by couples and people for the holiday, so with a sigh of defeat she finally returned home just as the sun was setting.

"Ugh, this suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks..." She groaned as she walked in stretching out her arms as she did "I'm gonna have to stay up all night looking for something online." She said with a sigh, just as an idea occurred to her "Although, if it came down to it I guess we could just spend the day together in his apartment, we might get interrupted at some point but a few hours alone might do the trick..." She thought.

Walking through the halls until she reached her room, the moment she began to step inside she immediately saw Kamakyuri sitting on her bed while looking at the floor.

"Kamakyuri?" She spoke gaining his attention "What're you doing in my room?" She asked.

"Oh you're back, finally." He spoke as he got up from her bed "I've been waiting for you to come back ever since you left." He admitted.

"Um...okay?" She replied, a bit unsure as to why he would do that.

"Listen Mutsuko, there's something that I've got to tell you." He said as he took a few steps closer.

"Uh huh, and it was so important that you needed to wait for me in my room?" She questioned.

"Well...the thing is that...right as you left your phone began to ring so I came in here to answer it." He explained.

"And?" She asked, still not sure where this was going.

"It was your friend King, he tried to tell you before you hung up on him and left, but you can't go over to Saitama's tomorrow to give him your gift." He told her.

"...What." She said, her confusion quickly changing into fear at whatever was about to come next.

"Well, apparently since One Punch Man hates Valentine's day, your friend King decided to make plans with him to spend the whole day playing video games at his place." He explained.

However, instead of seeing her suddenly light up in a fit of rage or have tears begin to well up in her eyes which he was expecting, all Mutsuko did was slowly look down at the floor with her eyes slightly widened from the news.

"So...all of my planning...was pointless?..." She asked as the bag she held in her right hand dropped to the floor "I'm not even going to get to spend the day with him?"

"Mutsuko..." Kamakyuri said, reaching out to try and comfort her.

But instead of letting him gently rest his blade against her arm she just walked past him and to her bed, where she then fell down on top of it face first.

"Just go..." She told him, a bit muffled as her face was in the covers "I just want to be alone..." She said.

Even though he wanted to stay and comfort her he knew that he'd probably just end up annoying her, so he did as he was told and left the room closing the door as he went. Once she heard the door slam Mutsuko after a few more seconds of just lying there picked up one of her bed's pillows and tossed it across the room out of frustration, a few tears welling up at the sides of her eyes.

"DAMN IT!" She shouted in anger as she buried her face into the covers once more "ONE DAY! JUST ONE DAY IS ALL I WANTED! AND I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO GET THAT!" She continued to shout, only to find herself sighing a few moments later "If only there was a way I could still get to spend SOME time with him, then maybe my plan would work..." She said as she turned her head to look at her wall.

Laying there for the next few minutes sad and angered, the cogs of the mosquito woman's mind began to turn and turn until suddenly an idea came to her that made her sit up in joy.

"THAT'S IT!" She shouted as she hurried for the door.

Using her speed she rushed out of her room while picking up the bag of manga as she did, from there she went to the house's kitchen and took her chocolates from the fridge before then going on to leave the building.

 _"Please please please PLEASE BE HOME!"_ She pleaded in her mind as she took to the skies and flew all the way to City Z.

Managing to make it there just as the moon was beginning to rise into the sky, she went right to Saitama's apartment building and landed in front of his door. Wasting not a single second she began to rapidly knock on his door, while doing her best to not break it on accident.

 _"Come on come on come on come on come on!"_ She thought, hoping that he was home and wasn't asleep.

"I'm coming I'm coming!" His voice called from inside, bringing a great deal of relief to her as she heard it "Who are you and what do you want?" He asked as he opened the door.

Yet once he did and saw who was on the other side, the irritation he had at whoever was rapidly knocking on his door like an insane person quickly disappeared, and was replaced by confusion.

"Mutsuko?" He greeted as he raised a brow "What're you doing here? and why were you knocking like that?" He asked.

Instead of replying with words however Mutsuko immediately bowed before extending out her arms, holding the box with her chocolates in one hand and the bag with the manga in the other.

"Saitama!" She exclaimed a bit loudly, as she was extremely nervous "I-I'm sorry to show up so late, but I heard from King that you'd be hanging out with him tomorrow, so I decided to give these to you tonight!" She explained before she stood upright to look him in the eyes "A-and I'm not giving these to you to try and be weird, b-but tomorrow is my first Valentine's day, a-and I thought that I could give you something, i-if that's alright!"

Even though she had originally planned to spend the entire day with him tomorrow, Mutsuko hadn't at any point thought of what she was going to say to him to try and get him to both accept her gifts as well as spend the day with her, so as she now stood at his door with her entire plan shot to hell, she was as anyone would expect immensely nervous.

"...Are those homemade chocolates?" He asked, pointing to the box.

"Mhm!" She exclaimed as she held them out, her arms lightly shaking from how nervous she was.

"...Huh." He sounded as he took them from her "No one's ever given me chocolate before." He said as he opened the box.

Looking over it's contents he not only found regular looking chocolates, but also chocolate covered strawberries and ones that seemed to filled with something.

"Saitama." She spoke again, regaining his attention "I-I know this is weird, a-and that you probably didn't want anything to do with the holiday, b-but I just wanted to do something nice for you, so...here it is." She said, still trying her best to keep calm.

Looking down at the chocolates once more and to the bag of manga that she held in her other hand, even though Saitama didn't care for Valentine's day nor was he crazy about chocolate, he could tell that she had put a good bit of thought into this.

"Hey, Mutsuko." He spoke as he looked to her "Wanna come inside and eat these with me?" He offered.

"R-Really?!" She asked in surprise, causing him to nod.

"Yeah, I just ate dinner so I don't think I'll be able to eat all of these, plus you did fly all this way so you're probably hungry right?" He asked.

But before she could answer her stomach decided to do so for her, with a very audible growl that even he could hear.

"Um...yes..." She meekly answered, a bit embarrassed by that "A-Actually I haven't had much to eat all day now that I think about it, do you maybe have some leftovers I could eat too?" She asked.

"No, but I've got plenty of other things in the fridge, so help yourself." He offered causing her to smile.

"Thanks." She replied as she stepped inside.

Closing the door behind her the two would go on to spend the next few hours talking to each other as they shared her chocolates and read the manga she had brought as well. And while this was in no way how she thought she would celebrate Valentine's day with Saitama, in the end while unsuccessful in making him fall in love with her she did get to spend a great deal of time with just him and no one else, which to her was all she really wanted to begin with.


	67. Punch Twenty Eight

**(A/N: This is an important note so it will remain here indefinitely, starting in this chapter we are going into the monster association/martial arts tournament arcs, however due to the nature of this story there of course will be drastic differences in how many events play out, which will now be listed for clarity.**

 **1\. Sitch will not be requesting the aid of criminals and villains for the hero's association, the reason why is because unlike in the actual canon Saitama here is well known as OPM and the strongest hero in the world, so there's really no need for them to do such a thing.**

 **2\. As it currently stands no more monsters or villains, this includes Garou, will become heroes/allies/friends to Saitama and the others like the house of evolution did, the reason why they were altered like that is because Dr. Genus's whole belief was that humans were flawed genetically, but then enter Saitama who proved this was wrong and there you go, he has no reason to rule the world nor to be a villain, however this might change depending on how the narrative plays out.**

 **3\. Saitama will still be entering the martial arts tournament as Charanko, the reason why is because the biggest running gag in this entire story is that Saitama's fanbase is unbelievably dedicated and loyal to the point of being psychotic loons, so when he enters the tournament looking like Charanko he will of course be holding back his strength as to not kill anyone, so no one will believe even if suggested that he's ACTUALLY Saitama, though of course everyone in his group will know, and while his reasoning originally is because of the money prize in this story it will be different as with him being the "top dog" so to say he's got more money than he could ever need.**

 **4\. The monsters will still be attacking in groups and targeting heroes, they will not be surrendering to him nor will they try to bargain/plead for their lives, for in this story the reason the monster association exists isn't just because of heroes it's because they need to try and finally find a way to stop OPM, as for why they aren't just attacking him all at once that will be revealed in the story itself.**

 **5\. This should be the only A/N throughout the saga, unless someone leaves a review asking a question or addressing a concern that has not been covered here in this mountain of text.**

 **And with that everything that could be covered/answered should be, thank you for reading through it all and as always, enjoy)**

* * *

 _"It's that lame theme song again!" A young boy whined as he watched a show on television "Just when it was getting good, that hero called Justice Man is gonna ruin everything again!" He complained as he leaned closer "He was so close to world domination! do your best Count Devil! don't lose!" He cheered._

 _Every day at the same time he'd turn on that show, every day at the same time he'd watch with anticipation as the villain or monster carried out their evil plan, and every time he was disappointed when Justice Man appeared to destroy them and save the day. Why was he always the one to win, why couldn't the monsters ever succeed, they were way cooler than that guy and his dumb theme song, they deserved to win. These were all things the boy thought every day as he watched this show hoping with all his might that something different might happen, and even though every day the outcome was the same he always hoped it would change somehow, so the monsters and villains who were so much cooler and worked so much harder to succeed would finally win._

 _But that never happened as the good guy always won, they're perfect and bland and there's never anything special about them, the monsters and villains who were always different and cool always lost because they were bad, their ambitions didn't matter because they didn't matter. And neither did the boy, as he seemed to be the only one who felt bad for the monsters and the villains, because he too was different like they were. Such was the way of the world, the popular would win, the hated would lose, it was such a tragedy._

* * *

"...Ngh..." A man groaned as he slowly woke from his slumber, moving himself into an upright position as he did "Damn it, that freaking dream again..." He complained as he put a hand to his face.

Slowly getting to his feet and stretching out his stiff form, the man had spent the night not in a bed but underneath the shade of a tree, far from any nearby city.

"Been having those a lot more lately..." He continued to talk to himself as he stretched "Wonder if it has anything to do with what I've been doing?" He wondered as he finished up.

With his body now limber and ready to start the day the man set off due west for his next destination.

"It'll probably be night again by the time I get there, even with it being dawn." He reasoned as he looked to the sky "But then again, that'll be the perfect time for a hunt~" He mused to himself, as an excited smirk found it's way onto his face.

* * *

"Hey have you guys seen this?" Kaemon asked as they looked over their shoulder towards King and Saitama.

It had been a few days since Saitama's apartment building was destroyed by the giant bird monster, and even with the association getting involved in rebuilding it as well as investigating the inciddent, it would still be some time before he or Kaemon could go back home. Thankfully King's apartment wasn't just spacious it also had a few spare rooms, meaning the two of them were free to stay with him until the damages had been fully repaired. Now one might think that this scenario would play out as it's typically depicted, they'd make themselves at home, be freeloaders, and completely disturb the way King normally lived in his apartment. But the truth was living with King was basically the same as their norm, sure they were all now sharing one space but it wasn't too different from when they hanged out at Saitama's, the only real difference was they had every meal together and saw each other in the morning as well as before going to bed.

All in all besides the shocking nature of the inciddent itself nothing else of importance had happened thus far, and in all honesty the trio hoped that if something should happen it would wait until Saitama and Kaemon were back where they belonged.

"Seen what?" Saitama asked, as he looked up from the manga he was reading.

"A whole bunch of heroes got their butts kicked." Kaemon answered, gaining King's interest.

"Really? what class were they?" He asked.

"C class." They answered as they looked back to the screen.

"Eh, that's nothing new." Saitama said with a shrug as he turned a page "C class heroes usually get in over their heads sometimes, you know to climb the ranks faster." He explained.

"Did anyone die?" King inquired.

"No, they just got beat to a pulp is all." They responded.

"Like I said, they probably just picked a fight with something that was too powerful for them, happens all the time." Saitama repeated.

"Still that is pretty weird right?" King asked as he looked to Saitama "First your apartment get's attacked, then a bunch of C class heroes get attacked too, all within a few days." He pointed out.

"Do you still think this is some kind of plot against me?" Saitama asked with a sigh "Because if it is, then why would the monsters attack a bunch of C class heroes, why not go for A class or even S class, something that'd get my attention?" He questioned.

"I don't know, but even you have to admit this is a weird coincidence, plus there was the robot who attacked me on the same day remember?" King argued.

"Oh yeah that was the same day wasn't it?..." Saitama said as he had forgotten that "Okay, maybe that is a little weird, but it still doesn't make sense why after attacking you and me that they'd suddenly go after a bunch of C classes." He rebutted.

"Okay...fair point." King admitted accepting defeat "But I still say something weird is going on." He insisted.

"Noted." Saitama replied as he focused back on his manga.

Except for the sounds of what was being played on the television silence came between the three once again as their conversation came to it's end, only to be interrupted as a thought came to Kaemon.

"Wait...you got attacked by a robot?" They asked as they looked back at King.

"...Did we really not tell the others about that?" King asked as he looked back at Saitama.

"Uh..." Saitama sounded as he tried to remember if they had or not "...Guess not." He answered with a shrug causing the other to sigh.

* * *

Sometimes in life we find ourselves experiencing a day in which everything that can go wrong does, where no matter what we do or how cautious we are it seems as though lady luck herself has decided we need to have a rainy day. Even people who strive to do good and be decent people experience days like this from time to time, such as Fubuki who despite having just woken up an hour earlier felt like she was on the brink of death due to exhaustion. It all started when she and her blizzard group responded to a tiger class monster who was going on a rampage nearby, what they didn't know was that the monster in question was a massive heap of sentient sludge, so even with Fubuki doing her best to keep herself and her group from getting hit with too much muck, they still ended up getting filthy. To make matters worse their vehicle had been damaged during the battle, so this left the blizzard group without a means to get back home other than walking, which was humiliating to say the least as besides their stained attires they also emitted a sewage water like smell.

Once they made it back to their headquarters they immediately all went to go take showers and wash their clothes, but for reasons beyond their understanding their washer and dryer both decided to go batshit crazy, resulting in the loss of several clothes and the severe damaging of others. One such bit of clothing that was destroyed of course was Fubuki's dress, and since she didn't have any spares at their HQ and their car was destroyed, she was forced to wear whatever they had to not be left in her underwear. And to her dismay the only thing they had that would not only fit her but wouldn't leave too much for some unsavory individual to ogle at, was a pair of fairly worn out dress pants that had a few tears and holes in them, as well as a bright yellow shirt that had the word "OPPAI" written on it in black that went with the image that was also on the shirt, which she was not too fond of. As to why of all things they could've had it had to be this shirt, a member of the group meekly told her that they saw One Punch Man wearing one once and so they bought it for that reason.

Feeling as if a vein in her head could pop at any moment, just when it seemed she might FINALLY get at least a few minutes to sit down and recuperate from the day thus far she received a call from her sister telling her to come over, which unfortunately wasn't an invitation nor a suggestion. And so, without a car to which she could discretely go to her apartment to change out of these clothes, she simply with a defeated sigh and slumped shoulders went to the nearest train station and got on the first train that would take her where she needed to go. Which brought her to where she was now, nearly unconscious, on a train, in attire that even a degenerate scumbag would find hilarious, nothing absolutely NOTHING could make this day any worse than it was.

"Fubuki?" A familiar voice spoke from her right.

Though instead of freaking out or reacting to it in any obvious way, Fubuki too tired to care with what happened at this point simply looked to her right to find none other than Genos standing there carrying a mountain of boxes.

"Hey Genos..." She greeted, practically whispering the words as she didn't feel like talking at all "What're you doing here?" She asked.

"I got a call from Tatsumaki asking me to come by today." He answered as he sat down in the seat across from her, placing the boxes in the empty seat next to him as he did.

"Wait, she called you too?" Fubuki asked surprised, both due to the coincidence as well as the fact she knew her sister did NOT care for Genos at all, so the fact she would invite him to her apartment was honestly quite shocking.

"Yes, she asked me to stop by Saitama's place and see if his fridge was intact, even with the association still busy with the repairs his kitchen for the most part had not been touched at all, so when I called her back and told her this she requested that I take all of the contents of his fridge and bring them over to her." He explained.

 _"You have got to be kidding me..."_ Fubuki thought with a deadpanned expression as another sigh escaped her _"My sister, too lazy to go grocery shopping had Genos raid Saitama's fridge, just so she wouldn't have to leave her apartment..."_

"Fubuki." Genos spoke as he pointed towards her "If you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing that shirt and those pants?" He asked.

"My day in a nutshell Genos." Fubuki simply answered as she gestured to her attire "Every single second of today has been one circus show after another, what you're seeing is the end result of it all." She explained.

"I see." He replied.

Silence then came between the two of them as that was pretty much what either of them wanted to say, ask, or talk about for the time being, making it seem as though the rest of their train ride would be rather quiet and uneventful.

"Hm?" Genos sounded, as the sudden ringing of his cellphone got his attention "Hello?" He spoke once he pulled it out and answered.

"Genos, there's a bomb on that train!" The voice of Bearded Worker immediately exclaimed, causing his eyes to widen.

"A bomb?" He repeated in question, wanting to be certain he heard the other right "Are you certain of this?"

"Wait what, there's a bomb on the train?" Fubuki asked as she sat up in her seat, immediately paying full attention.

"Yes, we just got word from Heavy Kong, earlier today he apprehended and interrogated a class A criminal known as the "Serial Bomber", he said he planted a bomb on the very same train you're riding on, he even tampered with the controls so that no one could interfere!" Bearded Worker explained "The bomb is also set on a timer, the moment the train reaches the station it will go off, killing everyone aboard the train as well as anything else at the station!" He added.

"Have you issued an evacuation yet?" Genos asked.

"Yes, but we don't know what kind of explosive we're dealing with, it could be a standard bomb or it could be designed to release something into the air, regardless you need to find it and disable it before the train reaches the station!" Bearded Worker answered with urgency.

"Understood, I'll find it immediately." Genos replied before ending the call.

"Genos, what's going on?" Fubuki asked as he rose from his seat.

"There is a bomb on this train and it is set to go off the moment it reaches the station." He answered, causing her to shoot up from her seat.

"Wait what?!" She shouted wide eyed in shock.

"We don't have much time before that happens, we need to locate the device and disarm it before any harm can come to anyone still at the station and everyone who's on the train." He explained.

"Why don't we just stop the train and let everyone off?" She asked as he stepped out into the aisle.

"That won't work, the controls have been tampered with, meaning the train won't stop until it reaches it's destination." He answered.

"But what if we can't find the bomb before then? what about the passengers?" She asked.

"I thought about that and I think I have a solution, but it will require your help." He told her.

"Um, excuse me?" A voice behind them spoke, causing them to turn around.

Standing behind Genos in the aisle was a young woman with short brown hair and matching brown eyes, additionally she was wearing a yellow hoodie that rested on top of a blue undershirt which went with her blue shorts.

"I-I couldn't help but over hear..." She began slightly avoiding eye contact as she seemed a tad timid "But did you say that there was a bomb on the train?" She asked.

Even though neither of them wanted to incite panic there was no way to avoid directly answering that question, so Genos in his usual straight faced way simply told her what was happening.

"Yes, there is a bomb on the train, it is designed to detonate once we reach the station, and so we have to get everyone off of the train before then in case we cannot find or disarm the device." He explained.

"O-Oh wow..." She said in a slightly shocked manner, honestly taking the news better than either of them expected "W-Well, let me help! I-I'm a hero too!"

"You are?" Fubuki asked giving her a once over.

"Yes mam'! though I'm only class C..." She answered meekly.

"We can use all the help we can get." Genos told her as he pointed to her "Here's the plan, with your inclusion you can search for the bomb, meanwhile Fubuki will evacuate the train by using her esp to let people off as gently as she can, I will do my best to slow the train down as to minimize any additional damage that might be inflicted upon arrival, understand?" He asked.

"Y-Yes sir!" She exclaimed with a slight salute to show respect.

"Then let's get to work, we don't have much time." He told them.

Watching as she hurried off to another part of the train, before Genos also took his leave Fubuki stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to include her? she is only class C." She said.

"True, but with her searching for the bomb that allows me to do something else to hopefully prevent anymore damage from happening, which is more important." He told her.

"Fair enough, just try not get yourself run over by the train." She replied, receiving a nod in response.

Watching him as he made his way to the out of the train car before he leapt upwards out of sight, Fubuki then shifted her focus to doing her part.

"Alright everyone listen!" She shouted to gain everyone's attentions "There is a bomb on the train, unfortunately the train itself cannot be stopped so I will have to let you all off myself, please go to the end of the car in an orderly fashion!" She instructed.

Thankfully due to her status as an A class hero, as well as Tornado's sister and a friend to Saitama, Fubuki didn't need to make it clear who she was and so everyone listened and did as she told them. Once everyone in that car had made their way to the door that led outside and to the next car, she began to lift each of them up one by one to put them on the ground with her esp, having to take extra care when setting them down as to try and reduce how much momentum they might have once she released them. While she was doing this, the C class hero was frantically searching for the bomb in every place she could think of, making sure to tell anyone she came across what was happening and instructing them to go to the car Fubuki was in so she could help them get out. As for Genos, he had climbed to the top of the train and easily made it to the front, where he now stood on top of the head car and was preparing to try and slow it down.

Taking a few seconds to gauge how far he would need to jump and land in order to secure his footing before the train hit him, he then took a massive leap from the train and landed several feet in front of it, though due to how fast it was going that distance was quickly closed. Releasing a grunt as the train hit him he began to push against it as much as he could, even going so far as to use the thrusters in his legs and feet to try and counteract it if even by just a small amount. As he did this Fubuki had already made quick work of the train's passengers, including the conductor who she was just sending out there were only twenty or so people on board, excluding her, Genos, and the other hero.

"That's all of them." She said to herself as she took a moment to catch her breath "That took a lot more concentration than I thought." She admitted.

"Miss Blizzard!" The voice of the C class hero called out as she ran up to her "I-I found it!" She exclaimed.

Feeling her eyes widen didn't even bother to ask her where it was but instead ran in the direction she came from. Following behind her as she went the two soon found themselves standing before what was once the bathroom of the train, for now it had been filled to the brim with countless explosive of varying designs and wiring patterns, making it nearly impossible to discern what was what.

"The door said it was occupied, but when no one responded when I called out I broke in." The hero explained as she pointed to a fire axe that was laying on the floor next to the door.

Though not meaning to ignore her that's what Fubuki was doing, as her mind was racing a million miles a second trying to figure out what to do.

 _"There's no way we can disarm this, not without Genos's help!"_ She thought as she looked over the heap of explosive _"And I don't know what'll happen if just rip it out of there, it might blow up and from this distance a barrier wouldn't be able to protect us from the blast!"_

Unfortunately, the bomb itself was not the only issue, for back outside at the front of the train Genos was still trying to slow it down, but not only was that not working it appeared as though the train was actually gaining speed.

 _"This isn't good."_ He thought as he assessed his options _"Besides tampering with the controls it seems as though he also removed the engine's speed limiter, and there's only forty seconds more until we reach the terminal!"_

Deciding that there was no other choice left than to go all out he activated the thrusters on his back, scorching his shirt in the process. As Genos increased the output of his thrusters to max and continued to try and slow the train, back on board Fubuki and the hero were trying to decide on a course of action.

"Miss Blizzard?" The hero asked as the other had remained quiet.

"There's no way we can remove the bomb without there being a risk to us." Fubuki spoke as she then looked towards her "That means I'm going to have to try and contain it here and now." She told her.

However, before the woman could say anything in response she soon found herself being lifted into air.

"That means this is where you get off." Fubuki said as she sent her out the train with her esp.

Taking a few moments just to ensure the woman would land safely Fubuki then refocused on the device.

 _"This is it."_ She thought as a hesitant breathe escaped her _"I have no idea whether or not this is going to work, but I either do something now or get off and leave it to reach the station, which of course isn't an option."_ She went on as her body was enveloped in her esp.

Taking one final breathe to steel her nerves she did her best to drown out all of the noise around her and focus solely on the device. But just as she was about to begin crushing it to cause it's detonation she found herself suddenly outside of the train and on the ground within the blink of an eye.

 ** _"DON'T MOVE."_** The voice of her sister instructed her via telepathy, causing her to look to the sky.

Sure enough, floating high in the air was none other than her sister, and after a few seconds the very train she was just one flew higher into sky well above the both of them, before it was crushed and condensed much like a soda can causing the bomb to explode, which was also condensed until not so much as a single bit of smoke remained in the bright blue sky. As for Genos, he too had been placed on the ground not too far from her and had the same bewildered expression as her's. Sadly there would be no joyous celebration that would follow what just occurred, instead it would be an anger fueled scolding coming directly from the green haired esper's mouth.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Tatsumaki questioned as she landed in front of her sister "Did you HONESTLY think blowing the bomb up in your face like that was a GOOD idea?!" She questioned "AND WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING?!" She added as she just noticed the other's attire.

"Tatsumaki I-" Fubuki began to reply as she got up, only to be cut off.

"WHAT WERE YOU EVEN DOING ON THAT TRAIN TO BEGIN WITH HUH?! WHERE'S YOUR LACKEYS AND YOUR CAR?" Tatsumaki questioned.

"If you would let me explain I can-" Fubuki once more began to reply, only to yet again be cut off by her sister.

"NO EXCUSES!" Tatsumaki told her as she crossed her arms "Honestly, I leave you alone for ONE second and you nearly get yourself killed!" She scolded.

"Now wait just a minute." Fubuki spoke finally able to get a word in "I'm not some helpless little girl you know, I happen to be a hero just like you and have esp like you!" She exclaimed as she pointed to Genos "And what about Genos? he was trying to stop the train by himself!"

"I don't care what happens to blondie! HE is not my sibling!" Tatsumaki countered "And besides, if something happens to him then he can just go back to his workshop or factory or wherever it is he comes from and get patched up, you can't!" She reasoned.

"I could've been perfectly fine Tatsumaki, I don't need you to always come in and save me like I'm some damsel in distress!" Fubuki argued.

"Then how about you stop putting yourself in situations you can't handle?!" Tatsumaki suggested.

Thankfully like a guardian angel sent from the heavens someone intervened before the argument was able to go any further.

"Um...excuse me." The voice of the C class hero from before spoke up, causing both sisters to look at her.

"Oh it's you." Fubuki greeted as the other got closer.

"Yes, I just wanted to thank you for what you did miss Blizzard." She said.

"Uh HELLO." Tatsumaki spoke gaining her attention "Just who do you think you are? butting into our conversation like that?" She questioned as she crossed her arms.

"Don't listen to her." Fubuki told her, causing her sister to puff her cheeks out in anger "It was nothing really, I just didn't want you to get hurt...um..." She trailed off trying to think of her name, if she even had said it at all.

"My hero name is Swim." She said quickly as she too had realized she hadn't given her name yet "I'm currently the lowest ranking hero in class C though, so you probably haven't heard of me." She admitted.

"You're right we haven't, now go away and stop wasting our time." Tatsumaki told her with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Again, don't listen to her." Fubuki repeated which only succeeded in annoying her sister more "My sister has a bit of an obsession with people who are strong, it can make her a little stubborn at times." She explained.

"No I understand, you're both friends with One Punch Man aren't you?" Swim asked.

"Why, are you a fan?" Tatsumaki asked, looking her up and down to try and discern if she was a crazy lunatic stalker or not.

"Well yes, but isn't everyone?" She asked genuinely.

Taking a moment to consider that question, considering the fact that both sisters were actually two of his biggest fans around it honestly was true that damn near everyone was a fan of his in some way, though they of course weren't about to admit that.

"I guess, if ya know you're into the kind of hero he is or whatever." Tatsumaki replied, trying to sound as disinterested as she possibly could.

"Right, well anyway like I said I just wanted to thank you miss Blizzard for letting me help you and for getting me off of the train, even if it was a little shocking." Swim told her, causing her to smile.

"Well you're welcome Swim, say do you want to come have lunch with us?" Fubuki suggested causing both Swim and Tatsumaki's eyes to widen.

"R-Really?!" She asked in disbelief.

"Mhm, my sister doesn't live to far from here and it's where I was headed anyways, and seeing as how you did help us to find the bomb I'd say you deserve a little celebratory meal with us." Fubuki explained.

"A-Are you sure though? would it be okay?" She asked.

"Depends, would it be Tatsumaki?" Fubuki asked as they both looked to her.

Feeling as though a blood vessel in her head was about to explode like a nuclear bomb, Tatsumaki whilst screaming internally simply turned to her sister with widened hate fill eyes before answering.

"Sure, I have no problem with it." She said, though at the same time via telepathy she asked _**"WHY. ARE. YOU. DOING. THIS?!"**_

"Great, then let's get Genos and we'll all head over there." Fubuki replied, though via telepathy she responded with **_"Calm down, she's just a rookie who wanted to contribute in some way, she deserves a little reward for her efforts."_**

"Oh thank you so much miss Tornado!" Swim exclaimed with a slight bow to show respect, before she ran past them and over to Genos to give him her thanks as well.

 ** _"You owe me, BIG time for this Fubuki."_** Tatsumaki said to her telepathically as they followed her, all the while glaring daggers at her sibling

 ** _"Fine fine, oh and we might have to stop at a store on the way back, I'm pretty sure the food you had Genos steal from Saitama's fridge was caught in the explosion."_** Fubuki replied, causing her sister to shift all of her focus onto Genos.

"YOU. LEFT. THE FOOD?!" She questioned in anger.

And with that, the four heroes made their way back to Tatsumaki's apartment after a quick stop at a local store, all the while Tatsumaki berated Genos for letting the food get destroyed, as well as Swim and Fubuki getting more acquainted with each other.

* * *

"GUH!" Tanktop Vegetarian sounded, as he was violently thrown against the wall of an alley.

Feeling as though his insides were burning up, the A class hero could do nothing but clutch his abdomen to try and ease the pain in some way.

"Huh, managed to make good time getting here, sun's still out." His assailant commented as he stood before him "I might be able to find someone who can ACTUALLY fight back." He mused as a smug grin appeared on his face.

"Wh-Who the hell are you?!" Tanktop Vegetarian questioned as he did his best to get his breathe "I am an A class hero, what do you hope to gain from attacking me?" He asked.

"A class rank nine Tanktop Vegetarian, I spotted you by chance so I decided to go after you." The other explained as he looked down at him "But I am seriously disappointed by how weak you turned out to be." He admitted as he balled his right hand into a fist.

"I hope you're prepared, because I'm about to show you what happens when you make a hero your enemy!" Tanktop Vegetarian threatened.

But before he could even so much as move a single part of his body to try and get back up, he was dealt a swift yet power blow to his already injured abdomen, causing him to fall over unconscious from the pain.

"I'm looking forward to it." The man told him though he knew it probably fell on deaf ears "I'll need all the practice I can get." He added with a slight dismissive gesture in goodbye as he took his leave of the alley.

Letting out a sigh as he left the man stuck his hands into his pockets and set out to find another hero, one he hoped would be able to actually fight back.


End file.
